Barberton crash victims named

“We had to lie to her about her daughter, mother and close friend who died, while she lay in a critical condition in hospital after the crash.”

That was the almost unthinkable ordeal a family had to deal with following an accident near Barberton on July 17. Samantha Roux (35) woke up almost a week after the accident.

She could only be informed about what had transpired days after as the family was concerned about her well-being.

Louis van Niekerk (54), his wife Antoinette van Niekerk (54) and close family friend Nizelle Loubser (38) left Mbombela on the morning of July 17, to go to Barberton to fetch Antoinette’s daughter, Samantha, and granddaughter, Aronica Roux (6).

The family spokesperson, Dawie van Niekerk, said the family and their friend had not seen Samantha and her daughter Aronica in three weeks as they had spent the time in Barberton under lockdown.

ALSO READ: Shooting and armed robbery takes place in Malalane

On their way back to Mbombela, however, tragedy struck. “Nizelle was declared dead on the scene. My brother (Louis), his wife and their daughter were transported via ambulance to hospital. Samantha went to Rob Ferreira and Louis and Antoinette to Mediclinic Nelspruit.

“Aronica was also airlifted to Rob.”

He said he was at the scene shortly after the accident occurred and only left at 16:30. Dawie said he had received a call at 18:00 on Saturday from Samantha’s husband and Aronica’s father, Aubrey Roux, who told him Aronica had died.

Half an hour later he was informed that Antoinette had also passed away.

“Samantha was still in critical condition and was later transferred to Kiaat Hospital. She had a cracked skull from top to bottom as well as a fractured C3 vertebrae, punctured lungs, a lower back fracture and internal bleeding of her liver and kidney.

ALSO READ: Oosthuizen pleads guilty to murder of elderly Lowveld resident Hetta Potgieter

“On Tuesday (July 20) the family was told that Samantha could not yet be operated on as there was a risk of her lungs collapsing, but she was eventually operated on that Thursday and the procedure went well.

“Last Friday, almost a week after the accident, she woke up and was asking questions. The family had to lie to her because of the state she was in.”

Dawie said it was another few days before the family revealed that Antoinette and Aronica had died as a result of the crash.

ALSO READ: G4S van bombed and guard shot in cash-in-transit heist

“At the moment Samantha is back home and recovering.”

He said a funeral service was held for Nizelle at a private venue on July 23. A family friend of Nizelle’s, who asked not to be named, said Nizelle’s family and friends were informed of her death the day of the accident.

“Her father was Wicus Coetzee, who was a well-known resident of the Lowveld. He passed away from cancer in 2015,” said the friend.

She said Nizelle is survived by her oldest son (19) and two younger daughters, aged 13 and 11. Nizelle and her daughters lived with her mother on their family farm. Both her daughters will continue to live with their grandmother.

“Nizelle’s mother and children will be moving to Gauteng shortly as they sold their farm recently and Nizelle passed away literally weeks before they would have moved,” said the friend.

ALSO READ: Silent rights aids victims in the fight against domestic violence and GBV