A family in the north of Pretoria is shattered by the loss of a son, uncle, brother and friend to a tragic accident two weeks after his 19th birthday.

Police spokesperson Warrant Officer Isaac Mculu confirmed that a collision between a motorbike and a vehicle occurred on the morning of August 24 on Solomon Mahlangu Road. A man was declared dead on the scene.

Luciann Bezuidenhout, sister of the deceased, said the slipway towards N4 Witbank Emalahleni, where the collision occurred, is unsafe as there are no stop signs so cars need to be vigilant when turning right.

She said a woman motorist who had witnessed the accident, got out of her vehicle to hold his hand as it seemed “he wanted to say something but he slipped away”.

“A medic was there within five minutes but it was too late,” she said.

“I waved at him that morning when he left for college and never in my wildest nightmare would I have thought that it was the last goodbye wave.”

She said the first-year gaming developer student will be remembered for his willingness to help whenever it was needed and his love for his bike that he kept inside the house.

“He never fought with anyone, not over anything he had such a huge heart, when he was home he would just come and pop by to play with the kids.

“He would accompany my sister who was a dancer to her lessons and wait for her in the car just to make sure she is safe and gets home safe.”

According to Bezuidenhout, their close-knit family shared many special moments.

“His proudest moment was when he outgrew my dad… they had a good relationship.

“He was very very tall and had a sparkle in his eyes always. His proudest moment was when he outgrew my dad. It was very funny to him. Wen my dad had to go somewhere he would go with, when they got out he would put his arm around his neck and walk with him with no shame just to say, ‘Dad I am here to protect you’.

“He also had a secret handshake with our mother that had to be changed every day as she would forget but that is what made it a secret.”

His love for gaming opened a different world to him and allowed him to make friends all over the world through online gaming.

“We will miss all the things that he did for us whether it be hanging a new painting or driving with us to make sure we are safe. Even him coming home to brag about the game he designed. When he heard a good song he would bring his phone and earphones and no matter what, we were doing we had to stop and listen to it.

“He was always willing to look after my four-year-old autistic son when I needed to go somewhere. My son is so difficult and no one wants to look after him, parents with autistic children will understand what a big deal this is. I had so much respect for him because of this. It’s insane that he would do this for my son.”