MBOMBELA – The ministry of state security has been unable to confirm the details of an accident on December 23 in which a man died after a collision involving one of the official security vehicles of minister Mr David Mahlobo.
Spokesman for the ministry Mr Brian Fikani Dube, told Lowvelder on Monday that he was on leave and had not been briefed on the details of the accident on the R33 between Carolina and Amsterdam which had claimed the life of Mr Hermanus van Schalkwyk.
He could not confirm whether Mahlobo, who was HOD of co-operative governance in Mpumalanga until the general elections in May 2014, was on official business at the time, or even present when the incident occurred.
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He would neither comment on whether his security services had contacted emergency services or left the scene before help arrived.
“At this stage, the details form part of the police investigation.”
In a statement the ministry conveyed its condolences to Van Schalkwyk’s friends and family.
“The ministry has been in contact with the family members and had agreed to visit them to convey sympathy. However, they, on legal advice, elected not to proceed with the visit, thanking him for his gesture. The ministry respects their decision.”
The driver sustained minor injuries. “I understand he is out of the hospital and recovering at home,” Dube said.
DA calls for investigation into former HOD’s accident, December 30 2015, 10:27
MBOMBELA – The Democratic Alliance (DA) has filed a complaint with the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) against the VIP protectors of minister of state security, Mr David Mahlabo, following an accident last week in which Mr Hermanus van Schalkwyk was killed near Ermelo.
Mahlabo was the provincial HOD of cooperative governance and traditional affairs until May last year.
The complaint was lodged with Ipid since VIP protectors are members of the police. Van Schalkwyk died on Wednesday in the head-on collision with Mahlabo’s VIP convoy.
According to a media statement by the DA, the VIP protectors were reportedly speeding and undertook a risky overtake which caused the accident.
“The DA has learnt from a witness to the crash that the first vehicle of the VIP convoy was a Mercedes Benz which bypassed a stationery vehicle in its direct path on the left of that vehicle, and a second VIP vehicle of the convoy, a Jeep, then passed the stationary vehicle on the right, heading directly into Van Schalkwyk’s path. The splitting of the convoy around the stationary vehicle appears to have directly caused this tragic crash.
“A third VIP vehicle then reportedly stopped and collected the occupants of the crashed Jeep, leaving the accident scene before medical assistance arrived for Van Schalkwyk.”
Brig Selvy Mohlala, provincial police spokesman, couldn’t confirm if Mahlabo was in fact in any of the vehicles.
He added that a case of culpable homicide is being investigated against both van Schalkwyk and the driver of the Jeep.
The DA further indicated that it will open the 2016 parliamentary year with questions to Mahlobo about his urgent and rapid transport needs, that required speeding VIP convoys and reckless driving.
“We will ask Mahlobo what business of government he was on at the time of the crash, and what the need for such haste was at the time of the accident.
“The DA will also report Mahlobo to Parliament’s Ethics Committee for leaving the scene of a fatal accident, and for not ensuring that medical assistance was secured for the victim.
“The family of Mr Van Schalkwyk has told the DA that they will not be welcoming Minister Mahlobo into their home to apologise, as they have opened a case of culpable homicide against the Minister and his VIP protectors. The family has also disclosed to the DA that they will be suing the state for damages,” the statement read.
