"Cursed" tree claims yet another life

Residents of Sidou outside Thohoyandou along the Punda Maria road have developed a fear of a tree that they say is cursed and is causing accidents in the area.

According to the residents, the tree has caused countless accidents, but one of the accidents that the community cannot forget happened in 2010, when four people died after their bakkie hit the same tree.

Last weekend, the community was again left in shock, following a horrific accident that left a man dead and three friends seriously injured. It happened on Sunday, around 11:00, at the notorious spot known for deadly accidents.

Details of the accident were still sketchy at the time of our going to press, but it is believed the driver lost control of the vehicle that was coming from Thohoyandou. It hit the tree, flew some distance through the air and then landed at the gate of the local drinking spot.

The accident left the car battered, with its parts strewn all over. One would have been forgiven for thinking that a massive bomb had hit the sedan.

Emergency personnel from private and government services came in their numbers and worked hard to stabilise the injured before taking them to hospital.

Firefighters had to used the jaws of life to free the lifeless body of one of the friends, who had succumbed to his injuries.

An eyewitness told this paper that she was at the nearby driving school when she heard a bang, only to realise that the car had hit a tree before coming to a halt at the gate of a bar lounge. "It was around 11:00 and the car was overtaking another when the driver lost control and the car hit the tree. There was an old woman who was walking along the road and, luckily, she ran out of the way. Otherwise we would be talking about another death. It happened very fast and it was like a scene in an action movie," she said.

Resident Anna Mulaudzi said the community believed the spot and the tree where the accident happened were cursed. "So many accidents have happened here because of this tree. We strongly believe there is a demon here that is hellbent on killing people.” She added that the sooner the tree was chopped down, the more lives would be saved.

Thulamela Municipality ward councillor and community leader David Mamushiana was equally shocked by the accident.  "So many accidents have happened here and the main cause is this tree. We have to have it cut down as a matter of urgency to curb the spate of accidents happening at this spot. We have to save lives," he said.

Meanwhile, Limpopo police spokesperson Lt Col Moatshe Ngoepe confirmed that several accidents had happened over the weekend, with the worst happening on Sunday at Penge in Burgersfort that left six people dead.

Date:07 August 2017

By: 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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