By Akani Nkuna
Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has described as “devastating” the moment his official vehicle struck a woman and her one-year-old son on the N1 near Bela-Bela in Limpopo, after visiting the victims’ grieving family on Friday.
Beauty Shoperai, 37, and her son, Paul Masunda Jr, 1, died on Saturday, 9 May, after they were hit by the vehicle transporting Motsoaledi.
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Shoperai’s husband, Paul Masunda, 44, had earlier been struck by another vehicle while crossing the highway.
The crashes happened near an informal bus stop used by travellers heading to Zimbabwe. Masunda had reportedly accompanied his wife and child to the bus stop before he was hit while crossing the N1.
Shoperai then got off the bus to check on him, carrying the child, when she and the boy were struck by Motsoaledi’s official vehicle.
Recounting the incident, Motsoaledi said the crash happened suddenly.
“It was very, very difficult. Everything happened [so fast]. I was seated at the back of the car when I saw that it looked like there was something at the front of the car. To discover that [we] just hit human beings, it was devastating,” he said.
“…I just stood there, because it was already dark the cars were just coming and we just could not stop them, they were moving very fast. I just felt helpless.”
On Friday, Motsoaledi took food parcels to the family and committed to assist with arrangements to repatriate the bodies to Zimbabwe for burial.
“We came also because the family needs repatriation back to Zimbabwe, and it so happen that coincidentally, the certification and arrangements to repatriate people across borders is done by Port Health, which is in the Department of Health. So we are going to see what arrangements we can do for them,” Motsoaledi said.
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Police have opened culpable homicide cases following the two crashes. The Independent Police Investigative Directorate is also involved because the drivers in both incidents are understood to be police officers.
Motsoaledi said law enforcement authorities had taken over the investigation.
“Police took over. We do not have any role in that. I subsequently heard that the drivers who were involved in these two different accidents happen to be police and that they are being charged for culpable homicide,” said Motsoaledi.
