Louise de Klerk was walking with her daughter when she was struck from behind by a motorbike and flung into the air.
She sustained head injuries and now takes medication every day, for pain.
Following the incident, de Klerk phoned the police, but no one arrived, so she contacted her husband.
He also called the police, who were parked at a nearby garage.
The scene was attended to by a warrant officer and two student constables.
De Klerk said the student constables did not seem to know what they were doing, which is evidenced by the accident report, which states that her daughter was a passenger on the motorcycle.
She added that neither of the two people on the motorcycle had a driver’s licence and that they seemed to be under the influence of a substance, but were not tested.
The warrant officer said they were not going to arrest the men on the motorcycle because they were going to the hospital by themselves.
When de Klerk started to question the way the matter was being handled the warrant officer allegedly shouted at her and said he was going to arrest her if she didn’t keep quiet.
She felt insulted at the way the officer treated her.
“I told him that I had been a police officer and know how the law works, but he then said the law changes all the time,” said de Klerk.
De Klerk later complained to station commander Col Martin van Nieuwenhuizen, and “it took them a month to come back to us”.
Van Nieuwenhuizen referred her to another colonel.
“When we spoke the colonel said that I must stay calm — she added that I was upset and that I needed to see a psychologist; she suggested a police psychologist, but I said I’m not interested.
“I told her I’ll do it myself if I feel like seeing a psychologist; instead of helping me, police are now suggesting that there is something wrong with me,” de Klerk said.
She added that she had already lost a son and the thought of her daughter being like that was scary to her.
”The colonel referred me to another officer as, she said, she couldn’t speak to me anymore, because I’m ‘way out of control’,” she said.
‘The other officer said it seems to her I don’t want to make a declaration — I said no, I want to.
“She attacked me and was very rude to me — she said I came there with an attitude — but I said I went there for my daughter and because of the accident report the police completed wrongly.
“I wanted to take the report to court but the report in its current form can’t stand in any court of law — it will be thrown out.
“Even the Road Accident Fund can’t entertain it if we make a claim.
“They then took my husband and me to a detective, who said the docket is complete and told us that my husband must make another accident report.
“They gave him forms and he did it, but now we want a declaration from them stating that they gave him permission to do it, because I don’t want them to come back to me and say we have committed fraud or tampered with the report.”
Response from Benoni SAPS spokesperson Lieut Nomsa Sekele
”Interviews were conducted with the de Klerks on November 11 and 12, and the fact that it is not a Schedule A offence, means it is not of serious nature and the driver could only be arrested if the public prosecutor issues a warrant or summons.
”The original accident report was compiled by the member on the scene, Const Tshofa, who made a mistake on the form and Mrs de Klerk was requested to submit a statement indicating the discrepancies, and she refused.
”Her husband, who is also a member of the SAPS, completed a new accident report as well as a sketch plan of the scene and, according to members who were on the scene, no report of any problems with the motorbike brakes was mentioned.
”Mrs de Klerk was called for an interview in order to resolve the matter and, during the interview, she became verbally abusive to Lieut Col Snooke in such a way that Lieut Col Pero, who was six offices away, heard her screaming at Lieut Col Snooke and went to try and assist and was also shouted at and verbally abused by Mrs de Klerk.
”There are also reports of members of the public as well as statements indicating Mrs de Klerk behaved aggressively towards members trying to assist her.
”This office went out of its way to resolve the matter, but Mrs de Klerk refused to co-operate and demanded that the matter should be dealt with her way and not according to the standard procedure.
”The case docket is still under investigation.”
Police’s reply knocked my socks off — de Klerk
Such lies and false accusations and I won’t put my own child’s case in jeopardy, would I?
Yes my husband is appointed underneath the Police Act, but cannot be appointed to complete a accident report because his job description is to repair all state vehicles mechanically and he can not do the work of the members attending a accident scene because he does not have the knowledge thereof.
The so-called aggressive part from me to the SAPS — strange that I was so aggressive that not even the lady sitting next door – a social worker that I know personally when I was in the force did not come and investigate where the so-called screaming came from.
Lieut Col Pero’s office is two offices away from Lieut Col Snooke’s and not six and she was contacted telephonically.
Lieut Col Pero was contacted by phone because Lieut Col Snooke did not know what to say to me anymore maybe because she already made up her mind to protect her own members.
However, I am not going to argue anymore but I only have one thing to say — Only God will know who is speaking the truth.
