Motorcyclist Tyrone Dercksen is killed in a double hit-and-run; family struggles for answers as streetlight issues raise safety concerns.
The family of Tyrone Dercksen from Pretoria West are looking for answers after the 29-year-old motorcyclist was killed in an alleged double hit-and-run incident and then robbed before his body was found last week.
Dercksen’s cousin, Barend Enslin, said that although they will hold a memorial service on Friday, the family will not stop until they have closure.
“Last Thursday, my cousin was driving along Hendriks Street towards Bohlman Street. From what we can make out, it looks like the vehicle drove out of Bohlman Street into Hendrick Street and bumped him on the right-hand side of the motorcycle, which caused him to crash,” Enslin said.
Family won’t stop until they have closure
“It looks like the first vehicle drove over him and possibly a second vehicle either drove over him or the motorcycle, but it’s hard to tell from the photos. However, both the vehicles fled the scene.”
Enslin said later, other bypassers phoned the ambulance service, which declared him dead on the scene.
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“We are looking for anyone with any information or who witnessed anything. It’s a hit-andrun, twice. A case of culpable homicide has been opened.
“We are looking at getting footage of the incident. We just want to find out what vehicle drove down that road around 9pm that night, so that we know which vehicles to look out for, because the vehicles that hit him should have damage from the impact,” he said.
Enslin said it’s like searching for a needle in a haystack, but added they could prevent something like this from happening again.
Hit-and-run victim leaves behind 2 sons
Dercksen leaves behind two sons and his parents.
Another family member, Ronel van Dyk, said the family wants answers after Dercksen was hit and run over twice, and left for dead.
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Van Dyk said the family weren’t coping with the loss of Dercksen, who was turning 30 this year and left behind two minor children.
“We are looking for the perpetrators who caused the accident and killed him.
“The homeless people who live under the bridge also robbed him and took his cellphone and wallet while he was lying on the ground,” she said.
Pitch dark
Van Dyk said there were no streetlights working on that street. “It’s pitch dark,” she said.
Ward councillor Leon Kruyshaar said it was a tragic incident.
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“How can someone just drive away from an accident scene? Not only is it irresponsible, but it is also against the law to leave an accident scene.
“Our community is shocked to lose another member of our community so close on the heels of two other similar cases, where two people also lost their lives on Hendriks Street in the last three months,” he said.
Kruyshaar said street lights that are not working play a big role in safety for the public.
Street lights not working play role in safety
“I myself actively report the street lights, but nothing happens. Our pleas fall on deaf ears.
“The DA under mayor Cilliers Brink drew up a budget in 2024 that would eradicate the street lights problem, but in July the ActionSA, ANC and EFF coalition adjusted the budget and did away with the budget for street lights as a priority,” he said.
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