‘My children didn’t ask to die’, says mother six months after fatal accident
'I wish I could tell them how much I love them one more time'
“My children are dead,” says heartbroken Birchleigh mother Monica van Loggerenberg (29), who lost two children in a fatal accident on Atlas Road last year.
“So, I need to speak on their behalf.”
Monica, her two children Jean-Pierre (8) and Mackayla (3) van Loggerenberg, her fiancé Juan van Niekerk and their daughter Abigail (eight months) were 12km away from home on the evening of July 8, when the family was allegedly hit from behind by another driver. Jean-Pierre and Mackayla died on the scene.
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The last thing Monica remembers before the tragic event is a kiss on the cheek from Jean-Pierre and a tired Mackayla asking to sit on her mother’s lap.
As she was kept in an induced coma because of her injuries, her children had been buried by the time she woke up.
“I will never get to see Mackayla in her school dress for the first time. I will never see her and Jean-Pierre go to college or even their wedding day. Everything was just taken away from me,” a heartbroken Monica says.
“Why us? What did we do wrong to deserve such punishment?”
Six months after the accident the family has not been able to take legal action, as they do not have any information about the accident.
“I call the police three times a week, but no one can give us answers,” says Juan. To Monica it feels like no one cares. “My children didn’t ask to die. I think I deserve to know whose fault it was.”
According to Capt Jethro Mtshali from Kempton Park SAPS the accident is still under investigation.
“When all relevant information has been received, the matter will be forwarded to the Department of Public Prosecutions to decide whether any party could be held responsible for the incident.”
Monica hopes that a guilty person will be found and prosecuted.
“I hope to one day look the person in the eye and say ‘I forgive you.’ But right now I’m not ready for that.”
Had it not been for little one-year-old Abigail, Monica says it would not have made sense for her to go on. As Abigail laughs at the camera, Monica smiles for the first time since sharing her story with EXPRESS.
Monica and Juan say this little girl will grow up knowing her brother and sister. The photos of Jean-Pierre and Mackayla on the wall testify to this, as well as a memory box filled with old letters, toys and photos of the two. This box, says Monica, is the only thing that she has left of her children.
“I wish I could tell them how much I love them just one more time.”
For the future, Monica will focus on becoming completely healthy, as a stroke after the accident affected the movement of her right arm and leg. She and Juan will also focus on Abigail’s health, as she was born a bridge-baby, which affected her foot.
They remain hopeful that someone will one day knock on their door and say they have information about the accident.
