Fish Hoek police are investigating a case of culpable homicide following a Noordhoek car crash that left a cyclist dead and seven other people seriously injured.
Deanne Hart, the owner of a landscaping business, and six of her employees were on their way to Cape Town on Tuesday morning September 12 when the crash happened near the entrance to the Lake Michelle estate on Noordhoek Main Road.
The bakkie hit Hout Bay cyclist Graham Taylor before crashing into a tree, according to two of the cyclists who were riding with Mr Taylor and who spoke to the Sentinel News, the Echo’s sister newspaper. Henry Steyn, who had been riding in front of Mr Taylor, said he had not seen the collision but had looked back after hearing the impact. Another cyclist, Ken Pollard, said the bakkie had hit Mr Taylor before crossing the road and hitting a tree.
An ambulance took Mr Taylor to Vincent Pallotti hospital where he later died of his injuries.
Firefighters had to use the jaws of life to free Ms Hart from the bakkie’s passenger seat, according to City Fire and Rescue Service spokesman Jermaine Carelse.
Both lanes were closed while emergency services attended to the scene, he said.
Taryn Theron, from Cape Medical Response, said they had found multiple people with injuries, and the cyclist and the woman in the bakkie’s passenger seat had been in critical condition.
The cause of the accident is being investigated, according to Fish Hoek police spokesman Warrant Officer Peter Middleton.
Ms Hart’s daughter, Shanyn-Dee Hart, hopes to raise R300 000 on BackaBuddy for her mother’s and the employees’ medical expenses as well as living expenses during what she said could be four to six months of convalescence.
Of her mother’s employees, Shanyn said: “They are more than co-workers; they are a family bonded by years of shared experiences.”
She said her mother had only recently started financing her bakkie, which was now a write-off. The vehicle was insured, she said.
Shanyn said her wheelchair-bound father was in the final stages of heart failure battling acute bone-deep ulcers and diabetes.
“My mother’s first thoughts, even as she lay injured herself, were for her team and husband,” she said.
“She was his lifeline, providing round-the-clock care. Now, in her absence, he too faces an uncertain future, with frailty and pain. It is a very difficult time for him.”
She said her mother had undergone two seven-hour operations at Groote Schuur Hospital. She had fractured her pelvis and had to have plates put in her arm and a pin in her leg.
She managed to stand up for the first time on Monday September 18, and Shanyn praised the hospital for the care it had provided her mother.
Shanyn said employee Peter Sigauke had a broken hand and arm and was awaiting surgery.
Jones Kachingwe had been discharged after a CT scan but had “severe” swelling to his face.
Tyson Damuer had a broken arm and hand and a deep laceration on his back while Simba Maheya had a broken femur and arm. He too was awaiting surgery.
The driver, Robert Muchembe, she said, had no injuries other than whiplash but was “severely traumatised.”
Trust Sithole had some broken ribs and suspected organ damage as he was unable to sit up. He was awaiting further tests.
“The men in this accident are not just the breadwinners for their families but the pillars of strength upon which their loved ones depend. They are husbands, fathers, and providers.”
Mr Muchembe, she said, had a wife and an 8-month-old baby while Mr Damuer was married with a son. Mr Sithole had two sons and a wife and Mr Kachingwe was married and a father of two. Mr Sigauke supported seven children and his wife, and Mr Maheya also had a family who relied on him.
Shanyn said the employees, who are from Masiphumelele and Ocean View, earned about R7000 a month, but about R2000 of that went to rent.
Her mother, she said, paid R9000 a month rent in Plumstead, and the caregiver for her father earned R7000 a month.
Shanyn said she was committed to supporting the employees in their time of need.
“Your contribution, no matter the size, will make a world of difference in their lives during this challenging journey of recovery,” she said.
