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News - Date: 19 June 2009
The life of Limpopo´s acting head of the Department of Local Government and Housing was lost in a gruesome accident involving a truck on Sunday on the Elim-Louis Trichardt road.
Ms Mihloti Hetisani (35) was part of the convoy of Limpopo´s MEC for Local Government and Housing, Mr Soviet Lekganyane, when the Jeep Cherokee sedan she was travelling in collided head-on with a bakery truck. Hetisani accompanied the MEC from Mpheni village where the residents had been complaining about poor service delivery, such as the non-availability of electricity and water.
The accident occurred at about 14:30, next to Beja, roughly seven kilometres outside Louis Trichardt. According to eyewitnesses who were travelling on the same route, a traffic officer who was escorting the MEC may have caused the accident. Apparently the traffic officer drove in the right hand lane in the direction of Louis Trichardt. The truck was coming from the opposite direction. “It appeared as if the driver of the truck tried to avoid the traffic officer´s vehicle and moved to the right hand lane. The truck and the Jeep sedan then collided head-on,” said one of the eyewitnesses.
They added that they tried to stop the traffic officer´s vehicle, but he kept on driving away as the convoy was moving very fast. When Mirror arrived at the scene, the truck was still burning. The driver of the truck, Mr Zacharia Rikhotso, was lying on the ground, while the spectators looked on helplessly. Although the accident happened not far away from Louis Trichardt, it took about an hour for the Makhado Emergency Services to arrive at the scene.
Seeing that the fire brigade was not arriving, motorists who stopped to assist started to collect soil from the ground in an effort to extinguish the fire.
What really touched the people who were at the scene during the accident was the long waiting period before any ambulances arrived. According to people who stopped there shortly after the accident occurred, it took almost an hour and a half before an ambulance arrived.
Seeing that the truck was still burning, members of the public began moving Ms Hetisani´s car away from the fire. They were concerned that the Jeep Cherokee would also ignite. One of the motorists assisted by towing the car away from the fire with his bakkie. The helpers also tried to force open the doors of the vehicle, but to no avail. When the emergency services eventually arrived at the scene, they battled for quite a long time to free Ms Hetisani from the wreckage.
According to the spokesperson for the Makhado police, Hetisani died after arriving at the hospital. “The police are still busy conducting investigations to determine what really happened,” he said.
The spokesperson for the Limpopo Department of Local Government and Housing, Mr Clyson Monyela, said that “It is with profound sadness that the Department of Local Government and Housing announces the demise of Ms Mihloti Hetisani. At the time of her passing, Ms Hetisani was the acting head of the department. She has shown dedication and diligence in her work throughout her career. Her friends and colleagues will remember her as a strong leader who worked tirelessly to contribute towards the development of the Limpopo Province and the country at large.”
On behalf of the department, municipalities and other stakeholders, the MEC for Local Government and Housing, Mr Soviet Lekganyane, extended his deepest condolences to the family, relatives, colleagues and friends of the acting HOD. “We wish the family strength and God’s comfort in this very difficult time. Although Ms Hetisani is no more, she has left an indelible mark that will not be erased by time. History and the people of this province will remember her kindly. She will be dearly missed by everyone,” said Monyela.
Hetisani is a daughter of Judge Godffrey Hetisani of the Thohoyandou High Court.
She will be laid to rest at her Section E home in Giyani tomorrow (Saturday).
The driver of the truck sustained leg injuries and was admitted to the Elim hospital. At the time of going to press, he was still recovering in hospital.
Peter Muthambi graduated from the University of Venda with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Media Studies. He started writing stories for Limpopo Mirror as well as national papers in 2006. He loves investigative journalism and is also a very keen photographer.
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