A trip home for Chêrie Botha and her children Carter (4) and Paige (23 months) Lopes last Wednesday through the Germiston CBD turned into a frightening ordeal.
Chêrie had fetched her children from school in Bedfordview and was travelling along President Street on her way to Dalpark in Brakpan when they got stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic.
“I travel through the Germiston CBD every day as it is easier for me to get home this way,” Chêrie said.
“It was about 4.55pm and traffic was at a standstill near the bridge on President Street.
“My daughter was in the back of the car and my son was in the front passenger seat.
“I had my window down and suddenly we heard screaming and I turned to look out of the window.
“There was a loud bang which sounded like an explosion or gunshot and people were running and screaming.”
Chêrie immediately reached over and pushed her son down to prevent him from potentially being injured.
“He started crying and said I was bleeding,” a distraught Chêrie said.
She glanced at her face in the rear-view mirror and saw a wound in the centre of her forehead.
“I wound the window up and started having a panic attack as I didn’t know what had hit me,” Chêrie said.
“I called my husband Daryl and he said he would meet me at home.
“I don’t know how I managed to drive home, but I got there and Daryl took me straight to hospital where I had a brain scan, was given treatment and prescribed medication.”
Chêrie added that she was extremely traumatised by the event and she found debris in her car which looks like pieces of concrete after she was hit.
“I just went numb and it was only by the grace of God that I managed to keep my son safe and get us home.
“Carter kept telling me not to worry as Jesus was looking after us,” Chêrie said.
“I never imagined anything like this happening to me and I am so glad my son was not injured as he was next to me.”
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Mystery surrounds the situation as no one seems to know what the loud noise was and what hit Chêrie.
The GCN contacted the Germiston police, the EMPD and Ekurhuleni Disaster and Emergency Management Services but none of the organisations had received any reports of an incident in the Germiston CBD on Wednesday at that time.
Capt André de Jager, spokesperson for the Ekurhuleni West Cluster SAPS, said, “No reports of a blast or gunshots being fired were reported to the police and no cases have been opened.”
Chêrie wants clarity on the incident and is appealing to anyone who was in the area at the time and knows what happened to send details to the GCN by emailing to germistoncitynews@caxton.co.za.
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