Freak accident kills 12-year-old boy

What was supposed to be an enjoyable outing of shopping and eating by a granny and her grandson ended tragically when the grandson was accidentally killed by a car.

The incident that left the hundreds of month-end shoppers in grief happened at the Spar complex on Monday afternoon.

The boy, identified as Muphulusi Muleka, a Grade 4 learner at Milaboni Primary School in the Siloam area, visited his grandmother at Tshikombani. She then took him along to Thohoyandou to get her grant money and buy some groceries.

After they had bought all their necessities, they sat down next to a shop to have their lunch while waiting for a bus to take them back home. At around 12:45, the driver of a sedan, who was trying to park next to where they were seated, accidentally caused the vehicle to jump the pavement, hitting the boy against the wall of the shop and killing him instantly.

Hawkers next to the scene said they heard a sound and, upon rushing to the spot, found the boy with blood oozing from his nostrils and mouth. "We could not believe what we were seeing. The car left its parking bay and jumped to where the boy was seated. It is very strange, and I have never seen something like this before. This is an accident for sure, it was not deliberate as the driver was also very shocked after the incident," said a hawker, who preferred anonymity.

She further indicated that a mob that gathered at the scene tried to assault the driver and threatened to burn his car. The police battled the unruly mob, which was baying for his blood, accusing him of being negligent.

At the scene, the granny, who had by then been joined by the boy's mother and other family, could not hide their grief and cried hysterically. Some shoppers comforted them as the body lay covered on the pavement next to the shops.

The nearby shops remained closed for hours while waiting for the government hearse to transport the body to the mortuary. The car that hit the boy was only taken away by a friend of the driver in the presence of the police after the body had been taken away.

The family and the driver of the runaway car were taken to the local police station by the police.

Limpopo police spokesperson Col Moatshe Ngoepe confirmed the incident, saying they had opened a culpable-homicide case.

News - Date: 09 July 2018

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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