Best friends victims in horror crash
THREE best friends were amongst the eight people who were killed in a head-on collision near Keimoes on Saturday night.
The three, Justin Cloete, 18, Bradley Jonker and Sam Isaacs (both 19), were travelling with Enrico Molois, 29, in a Hyundai Accent when it crashed into a Renault Clio about 15 kilometres from Keimoes.
The other four male occupants of the Renault Clio, including a five-year-old boy, also died in the accident.
According to Cloete’s father, Ralph, the three teenage boys were accompanying Molois, who was Isaacs’ older brother, on the night of the incident.
Ralph said neighbours had asked Molois to fetch their daughter in Upington.
“Justin, Bradley and Sam were best friends and were inseparable. Enrico was asked to drive to Upington to fetch the daughter of their neighbour. The three boys were also at the house at the time so when Enrico asked his brother, Sam, to drive with him, they all decided to go along,” he said.
He said they did not mind their son driving with the group as it was not too far.
“We are all staying in Marchant, which is about 96 kilometres from Upington. The group left home at around 7pm. We did not have a problem with the fact that they accompanied Enrico because they would have returned the same night,” said Ralph.
He was later informed about the accident by a friend.
“A friend of mine from Keimoes called me and told me about the accident. The youngsters were driving in the Hyundai and my friend told me that things were not looking good. He said that emergency workers and the police were already at the scene but that everyone was still trapped in both vehicles. Emergency workers had to use the Jaws of Life to free them,” he said.
Scene
Ralph said that when he arrived at the scene he was informed that his son had been killed.
“As I was driving to the scene, the police called me and said that Justin and everyone else involved in the accident had died on the scene. I was driving with my wife and had to take her to a hospital in Kakamas because she was too emotional. They gave her something to calm her.”
He said that they do not know the other four victims in the other vehicle.
“We only know that they were from Keimoes,” he added.
Ralph said that no funeral plans have been made yet. “We are awaiting for the forensic investigation to be finalised before we can bury them. We are hoping to have a combined funeral since the teenagers were so close. They grew up together and have been friends since Grade 1 and completed their matric last year.
“They were like brothers and did everything together. It will only be fit to bury them all on the same day,” he said.
Condolences have been pouring in for all the families of the eight deceased.
The Northern Cape DA provincial chairperson, Harold McGluwa, said the party wished to convey its condolences to all the families involved, including Cloete, who was the son of one of the party’s constituency officers.
“The DA is deeply saddened by the accident that occurred near Keimoes on the N14 on Saturday evening. The crash tragically claimed the lives of eight people.
“We extend our heartfelt condolences to the family members and friends who have lost loved ones under such horrific circumstances. Any death on our roads is one death too many.
“We further wish to convey our sincere condolences to the DA constituency officer for Benede-Oranje, Ralph Cloete, and his wife, Henrietta, who lost their son in the accident. We will keep you in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time,” McGluwa said.
The Road Accident Fund’s (RAF) regional manager, Primrose Mtshali, has indicated that they will assist all the families involved in the incident.
“We will do everything in our power to ease the emotional and financial burden of the survivors and the victims’ families. Our RAF Kimberly team will provide the necessary support to the affected families.
“The fund’s staff will engage the families of the deceased to facilitate funeral arrangements, while providing advice regarding the RAF’s other services. Following the funerals, consultations will continue with the bereaved families to originate claims for loss of support for any dependants and qualifying heads of damages for the injured as stipulated in the RAF Act,” said Mtshali.
According to the police another eight people, who were travelling in a Toyota Condor, were found scattered in the veld close to the accident scene.
Police spokesperson, Captain Sergio Kock, said details regarding the accident are sketchy but all the survivors were taken to hospital for medical treatment.