Sarojini Govender, 58, a mother of two from Rydalvale, was returning home from work on 14 September around 5pm when she was hit by a vehicle and passed away three days later.
As the family mourn the loss of their loved one, they are calling for justice as they allege that the driver was negligent. However, the driver claims that it was not his fault and that the accident has also left him and his family traumatised. Captain Louise Naidoo, spokesperson for the Phoenix SAPS confirmed a case of negligent and reckless driving has been opened. Speaking to The Phoenix Tabloid, family spokesperson, Roxanne Narainsamy, 28, said Govender was much-loved in the community and was known as “Ukka” by everyone, including the people she worked with at a factory in Umgeni Road. “We really miss her. She was everything to us. She was one in a million and the breadwinner of the family,” said Narainsamy. “Witnesses claimed they saw Govender get off the bus on that fateful day. They also claimed that the driver of a van overtook three vehicles and went onto the oncoming lane. The driver tried to go back onto his lane and in the process knocked Govender. Her handbag got hooked onto the side mirror. She went up in the air and landed on the road, sustaining head injuries,” alleged Narainsamy.
“When the family went to the accident scene, they saw the vehicle that was involved in the accident parked about 700 metres away from the accident scene. The witnesses pointed the driver out and then only he admitted to the family that he was the driver,” alleged Narainsamy. She said that they tried calling the government ambulance but were told that there was no ambulance available. “The driver was not willing to pay for a private ambulance, saying that it was not his fault. It took about one and a half hours for an ambulance to arrive on the scene,” she further alleged. Govender was taken by private ambulance to Mahatma Gandhi Hospital and then transferred to Addington Hospital where she passed away on 17 September. “The doctor said she was brain dead,” said Narainsamy. The family thanked the doctor and pharmacy for assisting on the day. “We want the law to take its course and for justice to prevail,” said Narainsamy.
Speaking to Phoenix Tabloid, the driver of the vehicle involved in the accident said on that fateful day he was driving down the road towards the Unit 9 traffic lights. “I saw a bus parked on the right-hand side of the road and about three or four vehicles were parked behind the bus. As I approached the bus, a lady stepped out from behind the bus and she did not see me at all. She was looking down at the road. I hooted and swerved trying to avoid her. She stepped forward and ran into my van. Instead of stepping back, she stepped forward. I swerved to try and avoid her but she went into the van. She was on the lane that I was travelling on. She went into the air and landed in the middle of the road. I stopped right there where I was able to park and not 700 metres away as it is alleged. I then identified myself,” claimed the driver.
The driver, who cannot be named as he has not appeared in court, said he and his family are traumatised by the accident. “Once the victim passed away, I was advised not to have any communication with the family, hence I stayed away. I don’t have a mother so I know what it feels like to lose a mother. I am still traumatised by the accident. My family are also traumatised and they are supporting me through the trauma.” The driver claims that witnesses have come forward. “I too want the law to take its course,“ he said. Viky Januk of Accimed said that paramedics arrived on the scene to find the patient still on the road and in a critical condition, in need of urgent care. The patient was stabilised and transported to hospital. Govender was laid to rest on 20 September.
