There has been a call for action on illegal drag racing in Pretoria after three people died in a horrific accident in Voortrekkers Road on Sunday night.
The high-speed accident, believed to have been caused by a collision between cars racing, sparked widespread condemnation from residents, police, anti-crime and civil action groups, demanding the city take immediate action to stop drag racing and the carnage it causes.
It is believed that four cars - a BMW X3, an Uno, a Nissan 350Z and a VW Jetta - were racing down Voortrekkers Road at about 7.30pm. As they approached the Ben Swart Street intersection two of the cars collided.
The Uno rolled and hit a lamp post cutting the vehicle in two with the engine landing at least 15m from the rest of the vehicle.
The Nissan spun across the intersection and came to a stop wrapped around a lamp post bursting into flames burning the driver, Eugene Marais, beyond recognition.
The impact of the collision was so severe that the engine was ripped from the vehicle and flung into a nearby shop.
The BMW, which was damaged on the front right side, came to a stop further down the road. The Jetta was found close to the Uno.
Several other participants narrowly escaped serious injury.
As police and fire fighters shut down Voortrekkers Road, paramedics from Netcare, Lifemed Ambulance Services and Tshwane Emergency Services frantically worked to save the life of the fatally injured Uno driver.
Residents, from several neighbourhood flats, who gathered near the scene, slammed city authorities for not doing anything to stop the regular Sunday night drag races.
“It is an event every Sunday night. Every week they (the racers) are here and every week the metro police are nowhere.
“We as residents are sick and tired of this. If the police are not going to do anything to stop this carnage, then we as residents will stand together to take back our streets.
“We will block the roads to make sure no one can race,” said a shaken Etienne Becker, who lives in a block of flats near the intersection.
He said it was no longer safe for people to come out of their flats on a Sunday night.
“We are like hostages in our own homes.”
Describing the accident, Becker said they heard the cars racing and then a massive bang.
Running outside, he saw the Nissan wrapped around a lamp post engulfed in flames.
“I saw the person burning in the car but it was too hot to do anything. There were just so many flames. You could not get near it,” he said.
As for the Uno, Becker said: “The car was completely mangled. The two people were crushed and one was folded over himself several times. I could not believe the damage. It is just too terrible.”
A security guard from a nearby Absa bank said: “There were lots of people waiting for the cars. I didn’t see the crash but I heard it. There was a big explosion and I could hear people screaming and crying.
“It was terrible. No one was doing anything to help. I saw the car against the lamp post and then it suddenly burst into flames.
“I had to look away. I could not watch that man burn like that,” said the guard, who didn’t want to be named.
Netcare 911 spokesman Jeff Wicks said the fatally injured man was taken to Steve Biko Academic Hospital where he died of his injuries.
Tshwane Metro Police spokeswoman Louise Brits said the details of the accident were still sketchy.
“What we know is that four cars were travelling down Voortrekkers Road when one of the cars hit another. We don’t know what caused this but it resulted in three people losing their lives.”
A case of reckless and negligent driving was being investigated and three cases of culpable homicide.
“We along with the Road Traffic Management Council are working closely with the police to establish exactly what happened,” she said.
Seven cars had been damaged in the crash, she said. Brits said they would be increasing patrols in the area and operations, including undercover ones.
RTMC crash investigation manager, Luchas Steenkamp, said they were involved in part of bigger police investigation into drag racing in the area and this accident would form part of the investigation.
“How many more people have to die before the council does something,” was the question ward 54 councillor Elmarie Linde was asking last night. She said at least two petitions have been submitted to the Tshwane Metro Council in recent years and the petitions committee decided a thoroughprobe had to be done to find a solution.
Linde said law enforcement alone was not the answer as some people simply moved their activities to Soutpansberg Road.
“In the spirit of LeadSA, we’ll be engaging authorities to strengthen awareness around illegal racing and get them to act immediately,” said LeadSA’s Yusuf Abramjee. - Pretoria News