A horrific accident on the N12 outside Fochville claimed three lives at around 12:30 on Saturday 16 January. The drivers of both vehicles, a red Polo and a silver Run-X, died on the scene and three occupants sustained critical injuries. One of them, 18-year-old Innocent Katleho Malunga was taken to Carletonville Hospital and died at around 21:00 the same evening. Malunga matriculated from Letsatsing High School last year and received a bursary from the JB Marks Trust. He was going to study information technology (IT) at CTI. The death of their son came as a great shock to his family. His father, Mr. Isaac Malunga, was not happy with what transpired in the lead-up to his son’s passing and feels that not enough was done to save his life. He told the Herald that the paramedics had alerted him about the accident at around 13:20 and told him that he had fractured his right leg. It was later discovered that he had also sustained internal bleeding in the stomach. Malunga says that when he arrived at Carletonville Hospital an hour later, his son had not yet been treated because there were apparently no surgeons available. No x-rays were taken to establish the extent of his injuries.
He also complained that, even though there was a helicopter at the accident scene, his son was not transported to an appropriate hospital. He says he insisted that the hospital transport his son to another facility when it became clear that he would not receive the necessary treatment immediately. The fact that he was not covered by medical insurance was irrelevant, he said, because he would have been able to pay cash for all the costs to save his
son. Paramedics reportedly told the heartbroken father that his son could not be moved because his blood pressure was unstable. The doctor at the hospital said he could not be moved from a public hospital to a private one and advised the family to “wait and pray”. “They made different excuses for
not airlifting the patient. First, they said his blood pressure was the problem and then they said the service does not fly after 18:00.” Mr Malunga describes his son as a believer and a true Christian who was humble, respectful and brilliant at school. A friend described him as humorous and very well-behaved.
* Another fatal accident on the N12 left 1 dead and 1 with moderate injuries on Sunday 17 January. A motorbike rider was seriously injured when he lost control and collided with a tree on Annan Road in Carletonville.
