Bloemfontein – The community of Prieska is mourning the deaths of five family members, including four children, who died on Saturday night following a gruesome motor vehicle accident.
Eighteen more people were also injured when a truck crashed into a minibus carrying a family from Prieska, on their way to a church conference in Johannesburg.
The accident occurred on the N1 close to the Brandfort off-ramp, approximately 20 to 30 kilometres from Bloemfontein, on Saturday evening at around 8pm.
According to the driver of the minibus, Patrick Yawa, five of his relatives, between the ages of eight and 22, were killed during the incident.
Yawa said that he had been pulled over by traffic officials, who were enquiring about the minibus’ permits, when he saw a truck approaching from the direction of Bloemfontein.
“The minibus was parked in the yellow lane of the road, and the truck was approaching in the right hand lane. I saw the truck decreasing speed but then again accelerating and moving into the left hand lane. The truck then crashed into the minibus and pushed it several metres into the road before coming to a standstill,” Yawa said.
During the collision, Sheldon September, 8, and Zanwonga Yawa, 12, were thrown from the minibus by the force of the accident and died on the scene, while Shelton September, 16, and Shane September, 18, died inside the vehicle. Bridget Yawa, 22, later died as a result of her injuries in Mediclinic Bloemfontein. The parents of the deceased are brothers and sisters.
Sixteen more family members, who were also travelling in the vehicle at the time of the accident, sustained injuries.
ER24 spokeswoman, Chitra Bodasing-Harduth, said that ER24 paramedics and other services attended to the accident and found the patients “scattered across the scene”.
“Sadly, two people found in the taxi and two others who were believed to have been ejected, had succumbed to their injuries. One person sustained critical injuries, while all the others sustained injuries ranging from minor to moderate. They were treated and transported to various hospitals,” she said.
Free Sate police spokesman, Sergeant Thabo Ditabe, on Sunday confirmed the incident and added that a case of culpable homicide had been opened.
In a separate incident, a woman was killed following a collision on the N8 between Kimberley and Bloemfontein on Saturday morning.
According to Bodasing-Harduth, ER24 paramedics arrived on the scene, about 40 kilometres from Bloemfontein, and found that a car and truck had collided, with a woman trapped in the car.
“She was extricated from the vehicle and upon assessment, found to be in a critical condition. She was treated and airlifted to hospital for further medical care but died in hospital due to the severity of her injuries,” Bodasing-Harduth said.