Biker dies in horror crash
The tragic loss of local businessman Andries Pieterse (41), an adept biker, has left his loved ones overwhelmed with grief. Adding to their anguish, is the online sharing of a horrific, graphic video made at the accident scene.
"Riding was freedom to him, he rode very well. That's why this is so difficult to understand."
These are the words of a heart-broken Janine Wilkie, following the death of Pieterse, her fiancé and partner of 10 years, in a motorbike accident on the Outeniqua Pass near Step-a-Side on Friday 19 April.
He was driving in the direction of Oudtshoorn at around 16:00 when he presumably lost control of his bike and hit the guardrail on the side of the road. Paramedics declared him dead on the scene.
Wilkie and Pieterse moved from Johannesburg to George in December last year.
"He was a father of two beautiful girls. He was wise beyond his years and lived his life passionately. We are devastated by this tragic accident," said Wilkie.
Pieterse's funeral will be at the Knysna Baptist Church on Friday 26 April at 10:00.
"He will be truly missed, and Tyla, Joshua and I are thankful for the brother he was to us," said Pieterse's brother Jayson.
He was a father of two beautiful girls. He was wise beyond his years and lived his life passionately.
Stop sharing horrific video
The irresponsible social media sharing of a video made at the scene of the accident has devastated some of Pieterse's family members who had the bad fortune to see it.
A friend of the family also contacted George Herald pleading with the paper to ask readers to curb their morbid fascination and to stop sharing the horrible video, saying people must think of the family.
In the meantime, police management in the Western Cape have launched an investigation into the circulation of the video and appealed to the public to refrain from circulating it out of respect to the deceased's family and children, and due to the sensitive nature of its content.
According to Southern Cape police spokesperson Sgt Chris Spies, the internal investigation aims to determine whether the video was taken by police officers who responded to the scene.
"A senior officer attached to the Garden Route District was assigned to the matter. Upon conclusion of the investigation, if any South African Police members are implicated, consequence management will follow. Western Cape police management considers this matter as serious and
condemns the circulation of the video. The necessary steps will be taken if found that police officials are involved," he said.