Boy, 10, dies in taxi crash

No arrests have been made after a 10-year-old boy was killed in a taxi collision on Monday.

Lentegeur SAPS spokesperson, Constable Felicia Adams, said a case of culpable homicide was opened after the Grade 5 Rocklands Primary Pupil died when a taxi full of school pupils collided with a BMW.

The boy was on his way to school when the collision happened. He was rushed to Mitchell’s Plain Community Health Centre (MPCHC), known as the day hospital, but later died due to his injuries, said Constable Adams.

She said a Toyota Quantum and BMW collided on the corner of AZ Berman Drive and Marguerite Street, Lentegeur, on Monday April 24, at 8.30am and the taxi was overloaded with 33 pupils.

The boy, 10, was taken to a nearby hospital, with serious injuries, but later died, said Constable Adams. The rest of the pupils were treated on the scene for minor injuries, while others were taken to hospital for medical treatment, she said.

Pupils in the taxi were from Rocklands, Meadowridge and Hillside primary schools, said Constable Adams.

The Plainsman contacted the schools but they did not want to comment.

Rocklands Primary School’s principal issued a letter to parents on the day, saying the school had been saddened by the news of the boy’s death and shared their condolences with his family.

Monique Johnstone, spokesperson for the provincial Department of Health said six children, five of whom were girls, aged between 6 and 13, and a boy, aged 8, were taken to the day hospital in Eastridge for treatment and discharged on the same day.

Lentegeur resident Rameez Wallace was returning from dropping off his partner at the bus stop in AZ Berman Drive when he heard tyres screeching. He turned back to see what the commotion was, he said.

“The taxi drove from Katjiepiering Street and sped into Marguerite Street, opposite the Masjidul Mieftaagh Lentegeur Mosque. The BMW came from AZ Berman Drive and swerved past the taxi to avoid collision. The vehicles collided, causing a major commotion in the street,” he said.

The intersection does not have robots, said another Lentegeur resident who did not want to be named. There is a pedestrian crossing but “we’ve been asking for traffic lights as accidents occur at this intersection if drivers are not careful”, she said.

“We took the children out of the taxi to help them. A lot of people pulled over on the side of the road and helped pull the children out of the vehicle. The taxi driver looked tired,” she said.

The ambulance, SAPS and residents all arrived at the scene quickly to help the injured, said Mr Wallace.

“The child was on the floor. We could see the child was still breathing but there was a lot of blood. We helped as best we could to see that the child was safe and cared for until the ambulance arrived,” said Mr Wallace.

“As a father and family man, it was traumatising to see little children having to go through this. The community was upset with the driver. We made sure to wait with the driver until the police got there,” he said.

The other driver allegedly fled the scene.

Maria Schoeman, a Lentegeur Neighbourhood Watch Sector 2 member, said they arrived at the scene as the residents were pulling pupils out of the taxi.

“Most of the pupils were crying. I was busy calming the children down. It was not nice to see this. It was emotional for all of us,” she said.

Elizabeth Kannemeyer, a Lentegeur Neighbourhood Watch member, said it was heartbreaking and traumatising.

“We always have issues where taxis overload their vehicles with children when they’re being transported to school. When we speak to the drivers they get upset. It is about the safety of the children. Parents must also make sure their children are safe when they are being transported. I was so glad to see the community standing together and calming the children,” said Ms Kannemeyer.

Glenda Arendse, chairperson of the Lentegeur Neighbourhood Watch and Walking Bus project, said the safety of the children is very important.

“That could have been my child,” she said.

Western Cape Education Department (WCED) spokesperson, Bronagh Hammond, confirmed that a Grade 5 pupil from Rocklands Primary tragically passed away as a result of a traffic accident.

Support has been offered to the schools involved, she said.

Western Cape MEC for Education, David Maynier, said: “This tragic loss of a young pupil should never have happened.

“I am deeply concerned by reports that the taxi was overloaded. We will monitor the progress of the investigation closely. We offer our deepest condolences to the parents and school, and ask that their privacy is respected as they grieve,” he said.