Justice in hit and run case
Closure for families at last
AS THE second anniversary of the tragic death of two close friends looms, their families are breathing a sigh of relief that justice has finally been served.
In May 2016, friends Praven Mahabir, 25, and Sumeer Maharaj, 26, were killed in a hit-andrun crash on the Blue Lagoon on-ramp to the M4 northern freeway, while helping their friend, Junaid Singh, fix his car tyre. Singh was also injured. The group of friends were described as being “close as brothers”.
After the driver of the Kia that crashed into them on May 18 made off into the traffic without stopping, an appeal was made to the public to help find the driver.
This week, the case was finally closed, with the driver, Kearabilwe Refilwe ModiseMoloto, 40, being sentenced to 10 years in jail, with her leave to appeal being denied by Durban Regional Court magistrate Fariedha Mohamed.
“Finally, we have closure. It makes us happy to know that justice has been served, and the family is doing fine,” said Mahabir’s sister, Sheena Jaguloo.
The Independent on Saturday covered the double tragedy soon after it happened, and publicised the appeal for witnesses of the crash to come forward with information.
Junaid Singh, who had been admitted to Addington Hospital, said he had been on his way home that afternoon when he had car trouble, and called his friends to help him.
“If I’m ever in trouble, I call my friends first. We are always there for each other,” said Singh.
His friends arrived and they had been chatting and joking while fixing the tyre. Suddenly, he said, a car came out of nowhere and hit them. Singh said he heard Praven first.
“He was calling ‘Junaid, Junaid’, and then I didn’t hear Sumeer’s voice. I went to Sumeer, he was lying there and I said ‘wake up, wake up’, thinking he was unconscious. I could feel his heartbeat and pulse were weak. I went to Praven, who was calling for water,” said Singh.
The driver of the Kia sped off, and a taxi stopped to help the young men.
Mahabir died at the scene and Maharaj died later in hospital.
Soon after the incident, Modise-Moloto took her vehicle to a well-known accident centre for it to be repaired, when it was flagged as there being something amiss.
On Wednesday, Modise-Moloto was found guilty of two counts of culpable homicide, failing to perform duties of a driver after an accident, and reckless and negligent driving. Her application for leave to appeal against her sentence was denied.
Singh said he was happy about the outcome after an emotionally draining two years.
“Life has never been the same since, and will never be the same without my friends. Today, we still talk about them and tear up. We were in each other’s houses all the time, we were not just friends. It’s made me a different person, I pull away from friends now,” he said.
Mahabir’s sister, Sheena Jaguloo, said her family was grateful to the legal team for their help.
“We miss our brother a lot, he really was a joy in our lives. The way that he had passed away was heart-breaking for us,” said Jaguloo.
Sumeer’s mother, Naseema Maharaj, told sister newspaper Post that she was overcome with emotion.
“I am so happy. This day has finally come,” she said.