Speeding bakkie smashes into home
A PENSIONER’S Sunday night movie was interrupted by the sound of a bakkie ramming through a shack at the back of her house, followed by a loud thump and then the driver landing on her roof.
At 8.30pm, just as she had settled in to watching the 8pm movie, Eunice Mkosana, 65, heard the sound of what she described as “a gunshot going off next to my ear”.
The sound was, in fact, a white Mazda bakkie which ploughed into the wooden shack against her home in Qeqe Street, Zwide.
Mkosana said it was the second vehicle that had crashed into her home.
The first incident was in 2010, and while there were no fatal injuries in Sunday’s accident she said residents were angry as they had been pleading for speed bumps to be built in the almost 2km road for many years.
“I am just so grateful, that my son [who lives in the shack] was not injured. Luckily he had just left five minutes before to visit his girlfriend,” Mkosana said.
“But this is the second accident. The third time we might not be so lucky.
“After I heard the first bang, I ran out and the driver rolled off the roof.
“The problem is speeding, it’s a long straight road and residents have asked for two speed bumps since I moved here more than 20 years ago.”
Her son, Bulelani, 23, said: “I lost a few personal items but I am just happy I was out of the house at the time. Speed bumps are the issue here.”
Police spokesman Captain Andre Beetge said the man had incurred serious injuries. He was admitted to the Dora Nginza Hospital.
A group of about 20 people gathered at the scene, all echoing a common grievance. Speed bumps.
Among them was Qeqe Street resident George Malefetse, 48, who said: “I saw the car driving down the road. It was speeding.
“Not even a minute later, I heard the loud bang and saw the driver had lost control.” Municipal spokesman Mthubanzi Mniki said the municipality would consider building speed humps.
“Within ward budgets a provision is made for traffic calming measures,” Mniki said.
“An investigation will be made as to when the request was made and where the delay is.
“The municipality always looks at a possibility putting in traffic calming measures as per the need. They will look at which traffic calming measures will be appropriate.”
Ward 26 councillor Patrick Vani could not be reached for comment yesterday.