Child (8) killed in deadly street race
The minor was a learner at Rynsoord Primary School and would have started Grade Four this year.
An eight-year-old boy, Nkosiyomusa Ndaba, was killed and two other children were rushed to hospital after a vehicle drove into them on the corner of Simunye Street and Madikizela Drive, Etwatwa, on January 8.
The vehicle was allegedly drag racing with another car. Emergency services treated three other pedestrians, aged 12, 30 and 37, for shock shortly after the incident, which occurred just after 19:00.
This incident comes after the driver of a silver BMW ploughed into a group of pedestrians, killing three children, in Salvokop, Pretoria, on January 7.
According to EMPD spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Kelebogile Thepa, a white Toyota Etios and a white Nissan 1400 were allegedly drag racing when the driver of the Etios lost control of the vehicle and collided with a group of minors and adults who were walking on the sidewalk.
“An eight-year-old boy died on the scene, while two 12-year-old boys sustained slight injuries and were transported to the nearest hospital for treatment.”
Thepa said the driver of the Toyota, a male in his 50s, was attacked by community members and his car was set alight. He was also taken to hospital for treatment.
“The unknown driver of the white Nissan 1400 fled the scene on foot to avoid the violent community members, who also set his car alight. Members of EMPD’s Etwatwa precinct arrived on the scene to restore order.”
The body of the dead child was taken to the Springs Mortuary. A docket of culpable homicide was opened by the EMPD at the Etwatwa SAPS.
Family devastated
The Benoni City Times spoke to the boy’s father, Nkosinathi Nkambule, at their family home in Emaphupheni, close to the scene of the accident, on January 10.
He said he was shaken by what had happened and was not at home when the incident occurred. He received a call from family notifying him about the accident.
“When I got to the scene, I couldn’t believe that my child was no more. His body was covered with a blanket. When I pulled the blanket back slightly, all I could see was his little lifeless arm and hand.
“When I had regained my strength, and when the forensics team arrived, I looked at his face,” the father said.
Ndaba was a learner at Rynsoord Primary School and would have started Grade Four this year.
“My child was smart and had energy for days. He wanted to be a policeman. His life has been cut short,” lamented the father.
The 32-year-old said he feels numb and that all he does is sleep.
The child’s mother, Thandiwe Ndaba, said it is hard to accept that her only child is dead and that he died such a painful death.
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