Following a horrific accident on Saturday, 31 July, where a mother and her three-year-old child were run over by a speeding car, the community of Musina made an urgent appeal for a pedestrian bridge to be constructed at the N1 road crossing leading to Skoonplaas Township.
According to Limpopo Transport and Community Safety MEC Mavhungu Lerule-Ramakhanya, preliminary investigations revealed that the 23-year-old mother and her child were crossing the busy N1 road when the accident occurred. The three-year-old girl died on the scene, and the mother was rushed to the local hospital with serious injuries.
The driver of the Toyota Sedan apparently sped off, but was caught by community members and taken back to the scene of the accident. His car was allegedly set alight by the father of the deceased child. The police managed to rescue the driver from the angry mob and kept him in police custody overnight for his own safety. He was released the next day, but the police are investigating a case of culpable homicide.
Community members claim that this is only one of numerous lives that have been lost at this spot. "We have been pleading for a pedestrian bridge for a long time. Instead, a zebra crossing had been designed, but this really has not changed the behaviour of motorists. As a community, we will approach Raubex, the company who is currently constructing the N1 ring road, to build a pedestrian bridge," said Mr Justice Langa, one of the community members.
The MEC condemned the public violence that led them to burn the driver's car. The community members were urged to cooperate with police and not take the law into their own hands. At the same time, she cautioned drivers to watch out for pedestrians and to reduce speed to minimise fatal accidents.
The mother has been discharged since and is recovering at home.