What was supposed to be a joyous day turned into an early morning nightmare for the Ngontsa family when four family members lost their lives in a tragic motor vehicle crash.

Potchefstroom Herald reports that Blondie (55), Jim (53), Harry (41) and Vuyo (15) Ngontsa passed away after their Hyundai H1 van rolled following a collision with a blue VW Polo on the N12 in the direction of Potchefstroom on March 29 at around 03:00.

All four deceased Ngontsa family members were part of the St Bernard Mizeki Men’s Guild and were returning home to Matlwang Village after taking part in the recording of their second album in Johannesburg. Five other people who were in the H1 van survived the horrific crash.

Crash on N12

Vuyo’s uncle, Mlungisi Daniel Ngontsa, who was driving the H1 van, was one of the survivors, with his 17-year-old son, Bonakele.

“I am broken just thinking about what happened. My uncles, Blondie, Jim and Harry, were all breadwinners in their households. It’s incredibly sad and we are all still processing this loss.”

According to Mlungisi, he allegedly saw a car speeding in his rear-view mirror that wanted to overtake the van near the N12 bridge at Lekwena Estate.

“He overtook me and then suddenly veered left into our direction, hitting us on the right-hand side of the vehicle. I lost control of the van and went off the road. We then started rolling,” he claims with a tear in his eye.

The van eventually stopped rolling, and at that stage Mlungisi checked whether any other passengers were injured. He sustained minor injuries, such as a cut on his face.

“My uncle was lying in front of the car. I also saw my other family members who had passed away. My cousin, Vuyo, was still alive at that stage, and we knew he needed help.”

Emergency response

Shortly after the crash, a security company vehicle drove past and stopped to assist in looking for the driver of the other vehicle, whose car was also in the ditch on the side of the road.

Mlungisi alleges that the driver of the Polo could not be found and that the car was locked.

The police and ambulance services arrived on the scene shortly thereafter. The ambulance transported the other passengers to Potchefstroom Hospital.

“When we went to the hospital, we truly hoped that Vuyo would make it, but he died soon thereafter from his injuries. He was a learner at Resolofetse Secondary School in Ikageng,” says Mlungisi.

Memorial service

A memorial service was held in Matlwang Village, about 20km south-east of Potchefstroom, last Saturday, for the four Ngontsa family members.

“They even played one of our new songs from the upcoming second album at the service. It was very touching. We will always remember them.”

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