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The bodies of the dead are loaded to a van of the local forensic services.

Five lose their lives in Thohoyandou accidents

 

Hardly a week after the horrific accident in Musina that killed seven passengers, Vhembe experienced another weekend marred by road deaths.

Two people died after the driver of a vehicle they were travelling in with others lost control and the vehicle capsized. The accident involved soccer players who were coming from a tournament at the Makwarela Stadium and happened next to the Tshikevha School at around 16:00 on Saturday.

In the second incident, three people, among them two drivers and a child, perished when the vehicles they were travelling in collided head-on. The incident happened along the Punda Maria Road next to Tshikhudini at about 19:20 on Sunday.

In the first incident, a day of fun for 20 youth from Tshakhuma ended tragically when the bakkie they were travelling in capsized at a sharp, steep bend, killing two young men and injuring many others in its wake. The bakkie was packed with soccer players. The players are said to have taken part in a soccer tournament at the Makwarela Stadium earlier.

The driver of the bakkie allegedly ran away after the accident. The road between Thohoyandou Stadium and Tshikevha School was closed for hours while scene experts, firefighters and traffic officials combed the scene for clues. Even though the scene was cordoned off, a large group of onlookers gathered and the police had to battle to keep them at bay.

The driver was later located by residents, allegedly hiding at one of the local schools, and was handed over to the police.

A woman who did not wish to be named said their team, Tshakhuma RO, was knocked out earlier on in the day, but they decided to have fun watching other games. “It was around 16:00 when we decided to leave, but we could not locate the driver of the taxi that had ferried us to the stadium. That was when we saw this local guy and begged him for a lift. To tell you the truth, he refused, saying that we were too many as we were around 20. People forced themselves into the bakkie and as it was about to move away, I received a call from my friend, who said I should wait for him. Hardly five minutes after the bakkie had left, I heard the sad news that it had been involved in an accident."

Thohoyandou police spokesperson Major Mashudu Malelo confirmed both incidents and said they had opened culpable homicide dockets.

He said they had opened a drunken-driving docket in respect of the driver who ran away from the accident scene. The man, Magau Donald Ntshavheni (27), appeared in court on Monday and the case was postponed for a forensic investigation. He was released on a warning.

 “We are appealing to all motorists to be extra cautious when using the road. We are losing many innocent lives and, in most instances, these accidents are a result of human error,” he said.

There was blood everywhere on the road. Firefighters clean the bloody mess at the scene of the accident.

The driver, Magau Donald Ntshavheni (27) is taken away by the police to a waiting van. He was allegedly found hiding at a nearby school after running away from the scene of the accident. He appeared in the Thohoyandou Magistrate's Court on Monday on a charge of drunken driving.

 

Date:20 July 2015

By: Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

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