LIMPOPO – The police in Musina had to rescue a motorist from an angry crowd following an alleged it-and-run incident along the N1 north road on Saturday (July 31). A three-year-old toddler died and her mother (23) was hospitalised during the incident, said Mike Maringa, media liaison officer for the Department of Transport and Community Safety.
According to preliminary investigations the mother and child were crossing the N1 when they were knocked over by a speeding vehicle. ‘The three-year-old girl was killed instantly and her mother was rushed to the hospital with serious injuries,” Maringa added.
He explained that after the incident the driver of the sedan sped off. “It is alleged members of the public chased after him, caught him and brought him back to the scene where his vehicle was torched by a man said to be the father of the deceased toddler,” he said.
The police were notified and the the male driver was rescued and kept in custody overnight “for his own safety”.
A case of culpable homicide is under investigation.
MEC for Transport and Community Safety, Mavhungu Lerule-Ramakhanya has since condemned the incident of public violence and urged the public to cooperate with police and not to take law into their hands.
She further cautioned motorists to look-out for pedestrians and to reduce speed to minimise fatal accidents.
