The mother of 25-year-old Phillip Bezuidenhout, who died following a crash on Steve Biko Road, has made an emotional plea to the community that no races should take place in her son’s name.

Pretoria Rekord reports that Frieda says that while tributes for her son have poured in, she wants his legacy to stand for something meaningful – an end to illegal street racing.

“We do not want any races in honour of Phillip,” she says.

“The only thing we ask is that it stops. No other parent should have to go through what we are going through.”

She pleaded with his friends not to go to races on Sunday.

“Honor him, his empty place in so many people’s lives, by lighting a candle and taking a moment to think how different things could have been if there were no street races.

“Honour him by using the money that would have been spent on petrol for racing to make posters with his face on every lamppost, with the words: ‘My friend, your life was enough for us!’”

“Honour him by showing that you truly cared for him, as Phillip, by not being there on Sunday. Honour his empty place in Voortrekker, just as his empty place remains in our hearts.”

Phillip’s father, Tommy Bezuidenhout, echoed the family’s sentiments, saying his son was not a racing enthusiast and had no passion for cars.

“He didn’t even own a car himself. This was a bad decision at a bad time,” he says.

This comes after social media posts suggested that a race may be held this coming Sunday in Phillip’s honour.

Phillip died after a crash at the intersection of Steve Biko Road and Booysen Street on Sunday (May 3).

According to police, a maroon Honda Ballade, in which Phillip was a passenger, and a white Renault Kwid collided.

Phillip was later declared dead at the hospital, while both drivers sustained serious injuries.

A case of culpable homicide is being investigated.

Frieda describes her son as a loving and vibrant young man who touched many lives.

“Phillip was so loved, he was like a ray of sunshine,” she says.

She says if anything should come from his death, it should be a turning point for the community.

“This must stop. Please, let this be the last life lost to illegal racing.”

The family is still finalising funeral arrangements, which will be made public once confirmed.

The plea comes as the DA in Tshwane has called on the Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD) to take urgent action against illegal street racing in Gezina.

DA Tshwane spokesperson on community safety Alderman Ally Makhafula says illegal racing reportedly takes place almost every Sunday along Steve Biko Road and poses a serious danger to residents and motorists.

Makhafula said Ward 53 and Ward 54 councillors Wayne Helfrich and Elma Nel have been reporting the problem to TMPD for years.

He says the DA had also submitted a petition to the municipality, but the response was ‘underwhelming’, with only two patrol operations reportedly carried out.

According to Makhafula, the DA had previously proposed that temporary rumble strips be placed along Steve Biko Road on Sunday afternoons to reduce speeding and make racing uncomfortable, but says the proposal was rejected by the City of Tshwane.

He says the DA will write to the MMC for Community Safety, demanding regular patrols in the area and requesting that TMPD work with the Department of Roads and Transport and the community to find a permanent solution.

“Residents and motorists deserve safe roads, and the City of Tshwane can provide them. All they need to do is act,” Makhafula says.

Meanwhile, the TMPD says it is aware of the issue and regularly deploys officers to the area for law enforcement.

“As TMPD, we deploy our members in that area on a weekly basis. At times, we conduct roadblocks and have previously arrested a number of motorists for drunk driving and other Road Traffic Act violations,” the spokesperson, Colonel Isaac Mahamba, says.

He adds that the accident occurred during a shift change.

“The accident happened at the time we had a shift change, and motorists used that opportunity,” the department says.

TMPD says it will continue to increase deployments and explore additional measures in collaboration with other stakeholders to curb illegal street racing.

“We will continue to deploy and are looking at various options on how to curb this drag racing with other role players. We also warn motorists to refrain from indulging in such behaviour and to be responsible on our roads,” the department says.

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