Thohoyandou police are investigating a case of culpable homicide after a 78-year-old woman was knocked down and killed by a bus at Thohoyandou Unit C on Saturday, 21 March, at around 14:00.
“Upon their arrival at the scene they [the police] found an African female lying on the road showing no sign of life. The deceased was identified as Julia Mmbara (78) from Miluwani, house number 920,” said Vhembe police spokesperson Captain Vuledzani Dathi.
Dathi said that when questioned, the driver of the bus said he was driving from Sibasa towards Thohoyandou when Mmbara suddenly appeared and was hit. She suffered multiple injuries and was certified deceased by EMS. The exact nature of the injuries that caused her death will be determined by an autopsy at a local government mortuary.
Omphulusa Nemalili, a grandchild of the deceased, said the family was still coming to terms with the untimely death.
“My grandmother left home on Saturday, first attending a funeral in the morning. Later she came back home and we were happy together, not knowing it was her last day with us. She met her death on her way to attending the social club in Makwarela,” Nemalili said.
Nemalili said the family disagreed with the police’s statement that her grandmother suddenly appeared from nowhere before being hit by the bus. They also cited ongoing construction work on a water drainage system along the road as a contributing factor.
The family is appealing to the Department of Transport and Community Safety to speed up the construction of the water drainage system to prevent future tragic accidents.
Nemalili added that her grandmother will be buried on Saturday, 28 March, in the Mmbara Sacred Place (Zwiendeulu). She is survived by four children, 13 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.