While the parents of the 29 pupils injured in an accident near KaNyamazane on Monday August 12, rushed to hospital to be with their children, one child’s parents faced tragedy.
When the 12-year-old Amanda Radebe’s mother, Zanele, realised her daughter was not among the injured at the hospital, she rushed to the scene of the accident, hoping to find her still being treated there.
However, upon arrival, her worst fears were realised when she found her daughter’s lifeless little body covered in a white plastic sheet, about to be loaded into a pathology vehicle.
The gruesome scene which made even hardened officers cry involved a midibus transporting pupils from Matsulu to various schools in Mbombela, a white Nissan NP200 bakkie with two female Transnet employees returning from their night shift, and a truck en route to delivering maize meal in KaNyamazane.
Both women died on impact. The truck driver was fortunate and came away unscathed.
ALSO READ: BREAKING NEWS: 3 dead, including pupil, in KaNyamazane accident
“I still could not believe it was her, but I confirmed her identity with a photo taken by an officer at the scene. I was shattered, because she recently lost her aunt and we were busy preparing for her funeral. Amanda didn’t want to go to school on Monday, but I forced her. I was expecting to see her after school,” said Zanele.
@lowvelder WATCH: Peter Maiwashe, a family member of one of the deceased, explains how they feel about the accident that occurred on the KaNyamanzane Road this morning, August 12. Video: Tumelo Waga Dibakwane Photos: Sihle Nyakane Caraccident Truckaccident Vehicleaccident Accident Kanyamazane Mpumalanga Nelspruit Mbombela
Although authorities said the cause of the accident was still unknown, Lowvelder has seen footage from the truck’s video monitoring system showing the school bus suddenly veering across the middle lane across the truck’s way into oncoming traffic and colliding head-on with the NP200. The truck then crashed into the bus’s side. Eyewitnesses also confirmed this.
The school bus did not have safety belts and Amanda, a Grade Six learner of Klipspringer Primary School, was flung out of a window and got stuck underneath the bus. She suffered severe head and facial injuries, which the paramedics said might have contributed to her death.
The other learners’ injuries ranged from mild to moderate and they were all discharged later that same day.
When it came to the occupants of the NP200, paramedics used the Jaws of Life to retrieve Beauty Kgawane (56) and Bongiwe Khoza’s (54) bodies from the wreckage.
The state is performing post-mortems and all the deceased will most probably be buried on Saturday or Sunday, pending the release of their bodies by the KaBokweni State Mortuary.
ALSO READ: Families mourn loss of relatives in deadly KaNyamazane crash
Kgawane’s brother-in-law, Peter Maiwashe, said they still cannot believe she was taken in the blink of an eye. He said they knew she was working night shift and was still heading back home, but the fact that she did not make it left a scar that will take time to heal. “We are still shocked at how she died, but we believe that God has His own way of making things painful, which we have to accept. We are going to miss her. She was one of us, loving, always smiling and keeping her family together,” he said.
@lowvelder UPDATE | The spokesperson for the Department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison, Moeti Mmusi, addressed the media regarding the accident that occurred this morning on the KaNyamazane Road. There was a multiple-vehicle accident involving a truck, school bus and bakkie. Twenty-nine patients were transported to Rob Ferreira Hospital. Three people have died. Lowvelder is on the scene and will update its readers as soon as more information becomes available. Video: Tumelo Waga Dibakwane Photos: Sihle Nyakane Caraccident Truckaccident Vehicleaccident Accident Kanyamazane Mpumalanga Nelspruit Mbombela
Meanwhile, Khoza’s sister, Nontobeko, described her as someone who was full of life, loved her family and was willing to do whatever it takes to protect them.
“It is not going to be easy to get used to the idea that she is gone, especially the way she died. We would have understood had she been sick, but she was physically fine and the accident snatched her from us,” she said.
The MEC for community safety, security and liaison, Jackie Macie, sent his heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased and wished those who were injured a speedy recovery.
This is the third accident in two weeks involving pupils. Six teenagers’ lives were cut short near Middelburg two weeks ago when the school bus they were travelling in hit a moving Transnet train. A week later, on the day of their memorial service, seven pupils walking home from school were struck by a car in the KaBokweni area.
Macie also expressed his concern over the number of accidents involving pupils lately, saying it serves as an indication of a problem that needs to be dealt with urgently.
“We cannot continue losing innocent young lives on our roads due to recklessness. This must just come to an end,” Macie said.
The investigation to determine the accountable party for the KaNyamazane accident continues. Lowvelder will update its readers as more information becomes available.
