A Woodhurst father who was allegedly knocked down by several vehicles near the Florence Nightingale robots on Monday, 26 May at 11am, succumbed to his injuries at RK Khan Hospital two days later.
The victim, 60-year-old Vijendra Govender (also known as Parra), was well known in the Chatsworth area for selling offal using a trolley.
His only daughter, Kubashnee Moothoo, said: “On Monday, my mum went to RK Khan Hospital to have a tooth extracted. I booked an Uber for both of them. After they were done, my father said he would go to Chatsworth Centre to pay some accounts and do some shopping, so I just booked a return trip for my mum. Around 12pm, my mum tried to contact my dad as she was concerned that he hadn’t returned home. He answered, crying, and told her that he had been knocked down and was at RK Khan Hospital. She rushed there immediately.
“My dad told my mum that he was initially knocked down by a female driver while he was standing on the pavement, waiting to cross the road on his way home. She stopped and spoke to him, saying that the incident would be reported to the police. He said that a few minutes later, another vehicle ran over him. Things started happening so quickly, he said, that he couldn’t even fathom how many other vehicles may have run over him. He suffered multiple injuries.”
Govender was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), where his condition began to deteriorate. On Wednesday, 28 May at 2:30am, his daughter received a call from the hospital informing her that her father had succumbed to his injuries.
She described her father as a loving, caring, and kind-hearted man who would go to great lengths to please his family.
“My father was the breadwinner of our home, and right now, my mother has no support. He would do anything for us. Although we’re grown and married, he would still help us with whatever we needed. He was the life of the party at family functions, and both our immediate and extended family loved him to bits. He may not have had all the money in the world, but he was definitely rich at heart. He loved music and dancing, there was never a dull moment when he was around,” said Moothoo.
She added that the family is deeply shocked by his death, especially since he had worked on the road for the past 21 years without incident, always being extremely cautious.
“We want justice for what happened to my father. He didn’t deserve to die this way. We want the perpetrators caught and held accountable. Our lives will never be the same,” she concluded.
Govender’s funeral service was held on Friday, 30 May. He is survived by his wife, three children, six grandchildren, and a host of family and friends.
Anyone with information regarding the incident is urged to contact 074-481-6402 or 084-967-9069.
Police were contacted for comment however, were yet to respond at the time of print.
