City couple killed in George crash
WELL-KNOWN Kimberley financial broker Flippie Becker and his wife Dot were killed in a motor vehicle accident near the George Airport on Sunday night, while a well-known former Kimberlite, Gavin de Villiers, also died on the weekend while canoeing with family members at Glentana Beach.
Western Cape police spokesperson Captain Malcolm Pojie said yesterday that the George SAPS detectives were investigating a case of culpable homicide after two people died when the Audi Q5 that they were travelling in collided with a truck.
He said the accident took place on the R404 road between George Airport and Blanco at about 22.45pm.
“Preliminary information reveals that the truck attempted to make a U-turn after it had taken the wrong turn and route.”
Pojie said the accident occurred when the Audi collided into the side of the truck while it was in the process of turning.
Impact
He added that the there were five people travelling in the vehicle and that a husband and wife were killed on impact.
“The other three passengers, an 81-year-old woman, a 78-year-old man and a seven-year-old child, were injured and transported to a local hospital for medical treatment ranging from serious to less serious injuries.”
Pojie stated that emergency personnel worked around the clock to free the bodies from the wreckage.
“The road was closed until about 5am on Monday morning. An autopsy will be performed during the week. No one was arrested and the investigation continues.”
According to ER24, the elderly couple, as well as a seven-year-old girl, were assessed and found to have sustained serious to critical injuries.
“The patients were treated for their injuries and were provided with advanced life interventions before they were transported by Metro Services to Mediclinic George for further treatment. The driver of the truck fortunately escaped injury.”
Becker’s personal assistant, Anna Nel, said that Flippie, along with his wife Dot, her parents and her grandchild, had left Kimberley on Sunday night on a business trip.
“We had to attend to meetings at our satellite offices in George and Plettenberg Bay and left late on Sunday night after stopping over at the farm.”
She added that the news of the accident came as a huge shock.
“They are a very close-knit family and they will be sorely missed. Flippie had two sons and Dot is survived by her daughter. The phones at the office have been ringing non-stop and we are still trying to come to terms with what happened.”
Nel said that Dot’s granddaughter had received treatment in the intensive care unit but had since been transferred to an ordinary ward.
“The rest of the family members sustained injuries and were also treated for shock.”
She stated that the business would continue as normal and assured clients that the business partners would ensure that their financial affairs would be well taken care of.
Jan de Klerk regretted the loss as he believed that Flippie was the best broker in Kimberley and the Northern Cape.
“He was in the prime of his life and can never be replaced. We were friends for many years and he was excellent at what he did. ‘No’ did not exist in his vocabulary and he was always ready and willing to help. He was one of the most trustworthy and kind-hearted people that I knew.”
Chairperson of the Mighty Men’s conferences in the Northern Cape, Riaan Janse van Vuuren, added that Flippie played a pivotal role on the committee.
“Both Flippie and Dot had generous hearts. It is a huge loss to the community, church and farming community. I last heard from Flippie over the weekend before he left for George. Dot was the co-ordinator of Helpende Hand Kimberley.”
Meanwhile, well-known former Kimberlite Gavin de Villiers also died on the weekend while canoeing with family members.
ER 24 said in a statement that a 50-year-old man had to be rescued at Glentana Beach on January 5.
“Shortly after 2pm, lifeguards noticed the man in distress and pulled him out from the water. He showed no signs of life and they initiated CPR. Paramedics from ER24 and Metro EMS arrived shortly after and continued with CPR. After some time, the man still showed no signs of life and he was declared dead on the scene,” ER 24 said in a statement.
“It is understood that he attended the beach with his family when the incident occurred. The exact circumstances surrounding the incident is not yet known. Police attended the scene and will conduct an investigation.”
According to Wild News, a community newspaper for the Garden Route, De Villiers and his son were kayaking in Glentana when the incident happened.
“The deceased and his son were paddling in the ocean while the man’s wife and other children were sunbathing on the beach. The kayak was capsized by a wave and they were unable to get back onto the vessel,” the news site reported.
“According to the police, the son was able to swim to the shore while his father appeared to have difficulty reaching the shore. Lifeguards raced to assist the man and brought him to dry land where three medical doctors, who happened to be on the beach, tried to resuscitate him.
“All efforts to resuscitate the man were exhausted and he died on the scene.”
It added that the Great Brak River police opened an inquest into the incident.
Family friends, yesterday however stated that it was believed that De Villiers had suffered a fatal heart attack while canoeing which resulted in his death.
De Villiers, who attended Kimberley Boys’ HIgh School, previously worked at De Beers before leaving Kimberley. At the time of his death, he was living in Reebok in the Western Cape.