Boy (1) run over by reversing car

“I am in deep pain and it feels like my heart is vomiting blood. When I went to see him in the mortuary, it was like he could say ‘daddy’ at any moment. It will take a very long time for our hearts to heal. But, at the end of the day, our memories will never run dry.”

Twenty-eight-year-old Tinashe Madhikondi, a Zimbabwe national, uttered these agonised words after his one-year-old son, Clydellow, was killed by a reversing car in Extension 3, Ikageng, at 09:00 on Sunday morning. The heartbroken mother of the child, 22-year-old Enemesia Lautangi, was too distraught to speak to the Herald.

According to a neighbour who witnessed the tragedy, the driver reversed over the boy with both the rear and front wheels. The neighbour was screaming to the driver that he has run over the child but the volume of the radio was too high for him to hear what she was saying.

In his panic, he drove forward, running over the child for the second time. The child is thought to have been playing behind the car, unobserved when the driver reversed.

According to Tinashe, his 4-year-old daughter, Euna, witnessed the horror because she was playing in front of the yard with him.

“At that time, his mommy was washing the clothes behind the house and his two grannies were also busy; one was cooking and the other one was bathing. My aunt was washing the dishes. Everyone was busy. I received the call when I was working in Mokapane,” he says.

When the shaken adults realised what had happened they called the child’s grandfather to the scene. He immediately identified the little boy by his blue shorts and yellow T-shirt.

Ikageng SAPS spokesperson, Const. Kelebogile Trom confirmed the incident and said EMR personnel declared him dead at the scene. The little body was transported to the mortuary.

“The driver of the Chevrolet Cruze was at the scene and did not appear to be drunk,” Trom stated. Tinashe described his son as highly intelligent and very wise.

“He was active, joyful, fun, and naughty. He made me laugh. He brought me joy and that joy has been taken. I know he could have been someone great because he was so clever. He may even have been the president of Zimbabwe one day.”

While Tinashe says he cannot judge anyone because he is not God, he appealed to drivers on our roads to be cautious.

“Before starting your car, check under the car, and check your rear view mirrors. There could be a beloved cat or a dog behind the car, or even a child. It is sad, but true that children of this age are hard to control because they want to explore and love experimenting.” Clydellow will be buried in Zimbabwe but, for now, the family is still waiting for the post-mortem. “Culturally, it makes sense to bury him in Zimbabwe to let his spirit rest,” Tinashe concluded. Const. Trom once again urged motorists to check their surroundings before driving away and to inspect their motors according to the K53 rules. “Especially where small children are in the vicinity, double check under and behind the car.” Trom who also has two daughters, aged 5 and 3, also advised parents to teach their children not to play next to, or under, the car and to watch that children do not follow or run after the car.