Johannesburg -
A mattress falling off an overloaded bakkie on the freeway and the driver failing to pick it up resulted in tragedy on Thursday night.
On Friday morning, the Joburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) was mourning the death of two of its officers and the serious injury to two others involved in the accident that ensued on the N12 near Protea in Soweto.
JMPD spokeswoman Edna Mamonyane could not hold back her tears on Friday, saying she and fellow officers had not slept. Some went to the scene of the accident to see what they could do to help; others visited the families of the officers.
The accident happened as four officers were driving to work.
The driver swerved to avoid the mattress that had fallen off the back of the bakkie, and the police vehicle crashed into the concrete barrier.
The vehicle flipped, killing Tshepo Mokotedi, 31, and Stembiso Mkhize, 32, instantly.
The other two officers are in a critical condition.
“If only the person who lost the mattress had parked his bakkie safely on the side of the freeway with its hazards on and run across the freeway to pick it up, this tragedy would not have happened,” said Mamonyane.
The dead officers belonged to the JMPD crowd control unit, which monitors and assists in service delivery protests. Both officers lived in Soweto. Mkhize was married with two children. Mokotedi was not married.
Mamonyane said the two were friends and had studied at police college together.
“This is a very, very sad day and everyone in the JMPD is very emotional. They were two young men - one has children, and we can all associate with their loss.
“Also, it is a great loss to the city to lose officers. There is a perception out there that we are not doing enough.
“The city has its own dynamics and many challenges and we need all the manpower we can get, so when we lose two officers, it only makes things worse,” she said.
The Star