Mpumalanga – The family of a fatal crash victim has refused to meet with officials from the state security ministry after taking “legal advice”.
In a statement on Tuesday, state security spokesperson Brian Dube said the ministry wished to convey its condolences to family and friends of Hermanus Schalkwyk.
Schalkwyk, reportedly in his sixties, was killed in a head-on collision with one of State Security Minister David Mahlobo’s official vehicles on December 24.
The accident happened on the R33 route on the way to Amsterdam in Mpumalanga. Schalkwyk had been on his way to visit family for Christmas.
“The ministry has been in contact with the family and had agreed to visit them to convey his sympathies. However, the family has, on legal advice, elected not to proceed with the visit, thanking him for his gesture. The ministry respects their decision,” the statement read.
A state security official was also injured in the accident and the department wished him a speedy recovery.
Dube said the ministry was concerned about the “politicisation” and “speculative media reports” of the accident and called on relevant authorities “to be allowed space to conduct their investigation and related process in accordance with the law”.
The Democratic Alliance is calling for the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) to investigate the accident.
African News Agency
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