A black Range Rover (with registration numbers and
letters TMP 088 GP) transporting the
Tshwane Mayor from Soshanguve township was speeding recklessly on the R80
highway between the Pretoria CBD and Wonderpark in Pretoria North. The driver
of the black Range Rover, Simon Mapanga (a
32 year old driver of 11 Maunde Street Atteridgeville), was irritated by a
slow moving vehicle in front of him and intentionally bumped the vehicle with
the Range Rover from behind. Because of the speed at which Simon was driving
and the size of his vehicle, the collision from behind caused Pieter van der
Linde, the driver of the smaller and slower Toyota Tazz (with registration
numbers and letters ZPV 377 GP), to
lose control of his vehicle. The Toyota Tazz crashed into a concrete pillar of
a bridge crossing the highway and as a result was damaged beyond repair.
After the accident the driver of the black Range
Rover, Simon, pulled up next to the Toyota Tazz to see if the driver and
passengers were okay. One of the bystanders at the scene of the accident,
Sphelele Nkosi, saw how the accident happened recorded the entire incident with
his cell phone. Simon was angered by Sphelele’s actions and demanded that he
(Sphelele) hand over his cell phone to him (Simon) or face assault. When
Sphelele refused to hand over his phone, Simon hit him with his fists in the
face and grabbed Sphelele’s phone from him. Simon threw Siphele’s expensive iPhone
X on the tar road under the passing motor vehicle. The phone was crushed beyond
recognition while Sphelele had to be treated for facial injuries at the medi-clinic
after this incident.
After the accident, the Van der Lindes were conveyed
by ambulance to the Louis Pasteur Private Hospital. Pieter (a 55 year old electrician of unit 102
Wonderpark Estates, Pretoria), the driver of the Toyota Tazz, was
unconscious after the accident and remained in a coma due to severe head
injuries, which were partially aggravated by him not wearing a safety belt at
the time of the accident. He eventually died 6 months after the accident
without ever regaining consciousness. Magdel van der Linde (a 26 year old receptionist at the Tshwane
City Council), Pieter’s pregnant wife, was a passenger in the Toyota Tazz
and suffered a whiplash injury and a few minor scratches to the face. The
trauma of the accident induced Magdel into early labour. Baby Jese was born
with deformities and will need medical assistance for the rest of his life. Magdel
was discharged from hospital after 30 days and baby Jese was treated in
hospital for a further ten (10) weeks.
Seventy five (75) year old grandfather
John and his fifteen (15) year old grandchild Tess, Pieter’s daughter from a
previous marriage, were sitting at the back seat of the Toyota Tazz. Grandfather
John had back problems before the accident, but after the accident his back
deteriorated to such an extent that he had to undergo an operation. The
operation was not successful and he has now been confined to a wheelchair. Grandfather
John spent 6 weeks in hospital. John had a safety belt on during the accident,
as did his grandchild Tess. Tess was traumatized by the accident and had to receive
psychiatric counseling for 12 months after the accident. Tess broke her left
leg in the accident and also suffered from severe head injuries. She was
hospitalized for 3 months and her grades in school dropped after the accident.
This drop in grades severely affects her pre-accident ambitions of studying
towards a law degree at the University of South Africa.
Pieter was 55 years old at the time of the accident
and earned a yearly salary of R480 000. Magdel was the beneficiary of Pieter’s
life insurance policy to the value of R2 million and also received a lump sum
of R2.5 million from Pieter’s employment pension fund after his death. Pieter’s
Toyota Tazz was fully insured with a reputable insurance company. Magdel is
earning a salary of R7 000 per month and was away from the office for the
30 days she was hospitalized and took unpaid leave for three months post the statutory maternity
leave. Grandfather John owns his own business and after the accident he could
no longer be involved in the day-to-day business of his company. He had to
appoint a manager, Steven, to attend to his business interests. Pieter and his
family were members of the ABC medical aid fund, but grandfather John had no
personal medical insurance.
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