Joburg south mom wants answers for her son’s gruesome death
Oosthuizen said she is angry, sad, and hurt and the fact the person who did this lives a few houses away, makes it hard for her to heal
A distraught mother has been waiting for closure since her three-year-old son was tragically ripped from her on May 9 in Mulbarton as a result of a car accident.
Now, over six months later, no action has been taken by the police, leaving Nadia Oosthuizen with hurt, rage and suicidal thoughts as the person who ran over them is freely roaming the streets.
Tragic loss
On that particular morning, Nadia and her son Joshua Gill were walking to school as usual, at 06:45.
Her son was on the left side of the sidewalk, but when they came to a puddle, they stepped onto the road to avoid the water.
The car that hit them according to her came out of the blue. “The man who hit us made a statement immediately after the officials arrived. I know this because I was conscious.
“I was told the SAPS took his statement and he was only warned. How is that conceivable? How can someone who has committed such a heinous crime only be warned? My child was murdered.
“There are two-speed bumps, yet the driver was speeding. He did not see us. All I remember after the accident is giving the number of my son’s father and my work number before passing out again. The next thing I knew, I was in the hospital.
“The paramedics took far too long to transport us to Mulbarton Hospital where we were stabilised before being transferred to Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital. It took a long time from the time of the accident to our arrival at the hospital. My child did not stand a chance because he had only had 1% brain activity at that time.
“The entire time I was in the hospital, I had no idea what was going on with my child. He was certified brain-dead that afternoon, but they kept him on life support. He died late the next day, and I did not know five days later. I was in extreme agony for 17 days, my back shattered in eight places, while they prepared me for surgery.”
Seeks closure
“It’s difficult, I can’t cope, I’m angry, I’m suicidal because I need to know. I want answers and the person who did this is still free roaming around the streets. How do I find closure? I’m broken and why is this taking so long to find justice? Are they going to wait for another child to die like this once more?
“It is now almost six months later and the police haven’t taken my statement and the prosecutors have done nothing; I’m not okay.
“Where is the justice system? Is this how the country turned out to be? Do they even care about me? What did we do?
“My child was innocent. We were innocently walking to school and he took my child away from me.
“Accidents do happen, right? But where is the justice? It’s difficult to deal with this because the person it seems is a nearby resident.
“My child was a ray of sunlight, an angel sent to shine through. He was a kind, cheerful and joyful child, extremely bright and very humble.”
The witness
Papagee Moseki, the neighbour who was one of the first witnesses on the scene of the accident, said: “I live just a few metres from the intersection of Broads and Loddon roads. On the morning in question, I was startled by a loud bang that I mistook for a car door closing.
“This was followed by a voice yelling something along the lines of ‘hayiii booo’. This was followed by a woman’s voice that sounded distressed. My first thought and worry were that she was being harassed by someone else.”
He said his instinct was to get out of bed and check to see what was going on.
“When I arrived at the gate and looked down the street, I noticed a woman lying on the ground near the intersection of the two roads and what appeared to be a doll lying on the pavement not far from the lady on the road.
“When I drew closer, I noticed a man nearby who appeared to be quite bewildered and in trouble. When I arrived, I discovered that the lady had been hit by a car. The gentleman standing nearby confirmed that the two had been struck by his car. It wasn’t until this point that I realised the ‘doll’ I was looking at was a human being.”
Moseki told the Comaro Chronicle that the gentleman who bumped into them was attempting to provide whatever comfort he could for the two while focusing more on the youngster, albeit unsuccessfully.
“He couldn’t say much since he was so upset. The lady was lying awkwardly but couldn’t move into a better posture since, as she explained, she was in pain virtually everywhere in her body.
“She persisted in asking three questions: ‘How is my boy doing? Is my child safe and well? What happened?
“Sadly, the neighbours did not come out until after a very long period and emergency help arrived far too late. The police arrived nearly two to three hours later. Only until the ambulance lights flashed did the neighbourhood appear,” said Moseki.
The Chronicle contacted the Mondeor Police Station twice to speak to the investigating officer but the calls went unanswered. The Chronicle is awaiting comment from SAPS Provincial Legislature.
