Silent protest at trial of alleged drunk driver who killed cyclist

A group of around 25 cyclists and supporters gathered outside the Randburg Magistrate’s Court at 08:00 on Wednesday ahead of the appearance of Ishe Dawani, who is accused of mowing down Johannesburg cyclist Steve Preston while intoxicated.

The organiser of the protest, Allouette Mendez, said the aim of the gathering was to create more awareness around cyclists who have lost their lives and to become an active voice.

Her group, Stop Killing Cyclists SA, aims to “stop the senseless killing of our cyclists on our roads through driver negligence in South Africa, by improving the policing on our roads and ensuring justice is served to those responsible”.

According to Mendez, the group was asked to leave at around 09:30 by police officers who told them that their gathering was illegal.

On 11 June, Dawani allegedly struck and killed Preston, 37, on a pavement in Fourways, Johannesburg, dragging him some 30m down the road.

Preston, an IT executive from Johannesburg, died while still trapped under the man’s BMW about 40 minutes after the incident.

Davani, 40, appeared on a charge of culpable homicide on 15 June and was released on bail of R8 000. The incident happened on Uranium Road in Witkoppen, Fourways, in front of the Ambar Downs residential complex on Thursday just after 13:00, News24 reported at the time.

Emer-G-Med paramedics were the first to arrive on the scene. According to its chief operating officer Jurgen Kotze, its team was alerted by members of the public that a cyclist had been involved in a “significant accident”.

“A 37-year-old man was riding his mountain bike on the pavement and a BMW came around the corner and the driver lost control and struck the cyclist. Our team found the man lying on his back still trapped under the car. He was alive but in a bad condition. We dispatched our acute critical retrieval team to assist, but the man was declared dead on the scene about 40 minutes later.”

According to the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD), Dawani was arrested for drunken driving and culpable homicide.

JMPD spokesperson Senior Superintendent Wayne Minnaar said the cyclist and a pedestrian saw the BMW speed toward them.

“The pedestrian managed to jump out of the way but the cyclist unfortunately couldn’t get out of the way in time. He was run over and dragged down the road. The driver of the BMW was arrested and charged at the Douglasdale police station for culpable homicide and drunken driving.”

On Wednesday, Dawani’s case was postponed to 30 October for further investigation.

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