Since the tragic death of seven-year-old Janeke Brink on June 17, three more people have lost their lives under the wheels of trucks in separate incidents.

In the most recent case, a hitchhiker who had asked for a lift from Limpopo to Arnot was killed shortly after a truck stopped to drop him off on the N4 at the Arnot off-ramp on July 9.

Provincial police spokesperson Colonel Jabu Ndubane confirmed the incident, stating that the man was accidentally run over by the truck moments after alighting. The victim was so severely mutilated that a DNA comparison has been recommended by the state mortuary doctor for identification.

Earlier tragedies include:
• Janeke Brink, a learner at Laerskool Middelburg, was struck by a truck while cycling on Meyer Street. Her brothers had crossed the road ahead and warned her to wait, but she inadvertently crossed, where she was fatally hit. She died on impact.

Also read: Janeke Brink se ouers praat oor ‘seerste seer’

• Zandile Maria Sikhaya (27), who was killed in Mhluzi’s Mayina Street on June 26.
According to her sister Nqobile Sikhaya, a truck allegedly veered onto the pavement and struck Zandile as she attempted to regain her balance. She sustained injuries to her arms and legs and died shortly after being admitted to Middelburg Hospital.

Also read: Former athlete dies in tragic truck accident

• Mateki Moleli (29), a mother of three, who was hit and killed by a truck on a Hendrina street on June 29. She died at the scene.

• These recent incidents follow community outrage in May, when members of the MK Party and Rockdale residents staged a protest outside the municipal offices, demanding justice for four-year-old Mlondi Ndlovu, who was killed by a waste removal truck near his home on October 11 last year.