Minutes before his death in George on Monday morning, Dr Lukas du Preez left his home in high spirits to fetch his domestic worker at the nearby Sasol garage.

George Herald reports his new love interest waited for his return home with freshly baked muffins and coffee, but it was someone else who knocked at the door—with the tragic news of his death. He had been in a crash not far from home.

Du Preez, a retired advocate specialising in labour law, became a familiar face and personality in 2021 when he played his accordion outside the Covid-19 ward of the Life Bay View Private Hospital in Mossel Bay, where his wife, Marinda, was a patient at the time. After losing his wife to the pandemic in August that year, Du Preez continued bringing joy to patients by playing the accordion outside other local hospitals. He also played outside the George Civic Centre during the Victoria Street building disaster last year to comfort the relatives of the missing and deceased.

Unbeknown to the public, Du Preez’s empathy masked a deep sadness and mourning for his wife of 40 years. According to friends and family at the crash scene, he had only recently rediscovered happiness in a blossoming romantic relationship. Du Preez and the woman, who asked not to be named, had decided to make their relationship official just days before his tragic death and to share the exciting news with their families.

“He was happy with this woman. They were planning an exciting time together,” a friend of Du Preez’s was heard saying at the scene.

Du Preez’s new love was overheard telling those who had come to console her that she and Du Preez had gone to church on what would turn out to be their last day together, before spending time with friends. She said he had been in high spirits when he left the house minutes before the crash.

Later that day, Du Preez had planned to take his Land Rover Discovery to a panel beater to have a dent repaired. The couple were then to drive down to Mossel Bay in her car and spend the day with her family.

However, the tragic turn of events saw her family rush over from Mossel Bay instead, to comfort and console her and Du Preez’s son and daughter.

Piecing together the crash

The crash happened at about 09:00 on Welgelegen Boulevard near the Outeniqua Family Market turn-off. After a short downhill section between the Welgelegen Estate and the turn-off to the market, Du Preez’s vehicle crashed into the trailer of an articulated truck parked in the emergency lane on the opposite side of the road.

The trailer was parked on a bend, in a relatively wide emergency lane demarcated by a yellow line. It was marked by two bright orange traffic cones, one in front and one behind the truck.

The truck was clearly visible from a distance in both directions and was not obstructing the oncoming lane Du Preez had been travelling in. Details of how he came to crash into the trailer on the other side of the solid white line are yet to be confirmed.

The greatest impact was to the nose and driver’s side of the car. The driver’s door was ripped off by the force of the crash and lay on the road a short distance from where the Land Rover had come to a standstill. He is understood to have died on impact.

While officials processed the scene, loved ones could be heard sobbing. Many of the bystanders knew Du Preez and expressed their shock, reminiscing about the last time they saw him and the kind of person he was.

Various hypotheses about the crash were also circulating.

A representative of Johnson’s Bricks, the company that owns the trailer, explained that it was left there because it was not allowed into the Welgelegen Estate, where its load of bricks was being used at a construction site. The man, who asked not to be named, said it was common practice for contractors to unhook large trailers, leave them there, and then offload the bricks in smaller quantities, especially since the contractors’ gate used in the past had been closed. While conceding that it was not ideal, he said they had been doing it that way for several years. He added that there was a time when they could use a spacious piece of land on the Outeniqua Family Market road, but that ended when a gate was put up.

Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel.

Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal.