“She looks, acts and is just as strong as her father. She has his soul and spirit.”

This is how the 12-year-old Amoné, the sole survivor of a horrific accident that claimed her three siblings and parents last Thursday, October 24, is described.

The accident, which sent shock waves through the country and once again flung road safety and the carnage caused on the roads, especially by trucks, under the spotlight, occurred on the Schoemanskloof road near the well-known Indabushe Eco Lodge. A truck allegedly passed two other trucks on a solid line and hit the Herbst vehicle head-on.

The truck driver, Thembinkosi Vilikazi (32), has been charged with five counts of culpable homicide. He appeared briefly in the court in Machadodorp, and the case was postponed until Monday for further investigation. He is still in custody.

Pieter, his wife, Chantelle, and daughters, Mienke (13), Kara (9) and Anzelle (4), were killed on impact.

Amoné is currently being treated by a trauma specialist in the Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg. She was seated in the back of the double-cab bakkie when the accident occurred. The impact was so severe that she broke her right tibia and fibula and tore ligaments in her left leg.

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There were originally fears that her life might be in danger due to her kidney, which ‘moved’ due to the impact and was pushing against her pancreas. “However, the specialist said she is a strong girl and that we should wait for her body to start healing itself,” a close family member, who request not to be named, told Lowvelder.

Pieter’s parents, Pieter Sr and Gerty, are not yet ready to open up to the media. “It’s not going well with the family at this moment. It is hard for them to deal with the loss of five precious loved ones,” the source said.

“Pieter and his father were extremely close. They called each other ‘Boet’! Amoné’s fighting spirit dealing with the trauma and injuries is currently a balm for all our souls. One of the most wonderful aspects that only now comes to light is the wonderful caring human Pieter was. He touched so many people’s lives. And he never spoke or bragged about it. He is truly our golden nugget.”

Ironically enough, while waiting for the Herbst family to arrive in Mbombela, some other family members had been watching a vehicle tracker in real time. At some stage they saw there was an accident on the Schoemanskloof road, but at the time did not realise who it was.

No funeral arrangements have been made until Amoné will be able to attend.

Social media outcry over road safety

This accident has highlighted the urgent need to address road safety issues, especially those involving trucks and the tragic consequences they can cause.

“The N4 between Machadodorp and Komatipoort/Maputo on a daily basis looks like multiple carriage of rolling stock behind a locomotive, but only on a public road,” said Kobus van der Walt on Facebook. “South Africa needs a ‘Zondo Commission’ to investigate the total transport sector. Such an investigation will most probably find a cabal of legal and illegal mining activities and transport cartels, which border on a new version of ‘state capture’.”

Frieda Hefer says: “Reckless driving, including speeding and dangerous overtaking, continues to claim lives. Let’s demand safer roads – it’s time for action.”

According to Rudolf Pretorius from Emgwenya, this heartache is due to the ‘pathetic management of the railroad system’.

“One trainload takes about 50 vehicles off the road. They would rather close railway lines than use or manage them effectively. It is ridiculous for raw materials to be mined in Burgersfort/Steelpoort/Lydenburg, but instead of using the nearby stations, while the existing railway line lies unused, they are transported hundreds of kilometres by road.”

“Surely the owners of trucks should be held responsible and accountable?” asks James Richardson.

“Traffic cops are never seen much on these roads, except for stopping Mozambique vehicles. This should be dealt with very seriously and urgently, as this N4 route is a like a deadly hazard and many accidents are happening, with many injured and losing their lives now.”