Johannesburg - VIP driver Joseph Semitjie was more concerned with checking the damage on his blue-light vehicle than the teenager he had just knocked over after skipping a red robot.
He was too busy on his cellphone to offer then 18-year-old schoolboy motorcyclist Thomas Ferreira any help, and didn’t try to assist the teenager, who now has permanent, debilitating brain damage.
And, while Semitjie was on Wednesday sentenced to five years’ imprisonment for his reckless driving and callous attitude, condemned wholeheartedly by Krugersdorp magistrate Abdul Khan, he could serve only 10 months of his sentence before he can apply for correctional supervision.
The sentence sounds familiar.
It is nearly exactly the same as that of Paralympian Oscar Pistorius.
And the same social worker who recommended that the athlete be kept only under house arrest for the culpable homicide of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp made the same recommendation for Semitjie.
Annette Vergeer took a lashing during Pistorius’s trial for what was described as a pathetic sentence recommendation in relation to the crime.
However, it is not the first time Vergeer has offered these recommendations in brutal, high-profile crimes.
In the case of disgraced gospel singer Molemo “Jub Jub” Maarohanye, Vergeer suggested house arrest for the celebrity, despite the fact that he had engaged in a drug-fuelled drag race that killed four schoolchildren.
Vergeer also favoured house arrest for the notorious Sunday Rapist, Jaco Steyn, claiming she had based her recommendation on the likelihood that he would not commit crimes again.
But it was during his community service that Steyn committed the most heinous of his crimes, the rape attacks of which he was charged and convicted.
During Maarohanye’s sentencing proceedings, Vergeer said conditions in local prisons were “devastating” - the same reasoning she proferred during Pistorius’s trial.
But in the Pistorius case, she added that the Department of Correctional Services could not adequately accommodate a double amputee.
The department’s national director, Zac Modise, had to be called to the stand to explain that Vergeer’s perceptions of prison were totally incorrect, and Judge Thokozile Masipa dismissed Vergeer’s comments.
The Star understands the Department of Social Development has launched an investigation into Vergeer’s conduct after she admitted she provided testimony in her private capacity rather than as an employee of the department.
Department spokeswoman Lumka Olifant said the investigation was continuing and details could not be revealed until its completion.
However, Khan was harsh on Wednesday, saying Semetjie’s carelessness and lack of compassion had endangered the MEC he had been transporting, destroyed a young man’s life and shattered a family.
He said Ferreira now needs 24-hour supervision, and described him as “a young man who has been lost to society”.
Khan said Semitjie’s claims of remorse were insincere as the driver had tried to shift the blame, firstly onto Ferreira by saying the teen had caused the accident, then the police service for its harsh working conditions and, finally, the MEC for saying they had been late for their meeting.
But the magistrate said while he could impose a maximum sentence of 27 years for Semitjie’s crimes, such a harsh decision would do nothing to help Ferreira in his current state.
He noted how the Ferreira family had chosen to forgive Semitjie, and applauded their kindness.
However, Khan said the “forgiveness can’t overshadow the offences”, and while he had considered Vergeer’s report, he insisted that a custodial sentence was the only appropriate sentence.
Semitjie is set to appeal against the sentencing and conviction, with a bail application in the Krugersdorp Magistrate’s Court on Friday while he awaits confirmation or denial of his leave to appeal.
The Star