Tragedy strikes family
A Benoni father and his 12-year-old son were recovering in a Rustenburg hospital on Monday, after being involved in an accident that claimed the lives of the man's wife and older son.
Ebotse Golf and Country Estate residents Jacques Antoine (42) and his wife, Cheryl (41), were en route to Jacques’s work function, with their sons Jarrett (15) and Kaiden (12), when they were involved in a head-on collision with a bakkie, on the N4, 2km outside Rustenburg.
The incident happened at around 4.45pm.
Cheryl died on the scene, while Jarrett, who was a Grade Eight pupil at St Dunstan’s College, died in hospital.
The two occupants of the bakkie are also believed to have died.
Kaiden, a Grade Six Rynfield Primary School pupil, and his dad were, on Monday, recuperating in the Medicare Hospital.
Jacques’ father, Tony, told the City Times his son had undergone a successful operation on Saturday, as a result of a fluid build-up in his stomach.
Kaiden sustained a fractured vertebrae and collarbone.
Tony described his daughter-in-law as the perfect mother.
“She was jovial, loving and her children and family were everything,” he said.
“That is all she lived for.
“She was the perfect mother to her children.”
One of Cheryl’s friends, Farrarmere resident Deidri Jones, echoed these sentiments.
She said she will miss Cheryl’s big smile and how she embraced all her friends.
Tony said he also had the “perfect grandchild”.
“Jarrett was respectable and a wonderful character,” he added.
The grandfather said he had had the pleasure of growing closer to his grandchild recently, as he was in Gauteng to visit the family for six weeks – departing back to Durban a week before the accident.
Kaiden is trying to come to terms with the death of his mother and brother; he and his father have received a flood of well wishes from family, friends and colleagues.
Jacques works as a senior manager for Airports Company South Africa, based at O R Tambo International Airport.
Cheryl worked as a receptionist for Hitachi.
The family has thanked everybody for the tremendous support from Jacques’ and Cheryl’s colleagues, friends and family, as well as staff members at Mediclinic Hospital.
Jacques and Cheryl had been dating since Grade Seven and were married for 17 years.
The family are due to hold memorial services in Benoni and Durban.
Dates will be decided on when the father and son are strong enough to attend.
Former St Dunstan’s pupil dies
St Dunstan’s College has paid tribute to one of its former pupils, Amber Liechti.
Liechti matriculated from the college last year.
She is believed to have died in a car accident in Bredell, on December 9.
