Tragic Pongola accident claims 4, including Sheffield dad

Sheffield and Phoenix families are in mourning after four people died in a gruesome accident near Pongola last Friday.

A mere five minutes away from arriving in Pongola for a weekend hunting trip, the four people were killed when the bakkies they were travelling in crashed into a truck.

Tamryn de Bruin and Tia Barnard have been left to pick up the pieces after losing a husband and fiancé in the collision.

For former Sheffield resident Barnard, the blow was threefold, also losing her father and a cousin.

Speaking to the Courier, Barnard, married to Tiaan Barnard, said she still thinks it was all just a dream and can still imagine her husband driving up to their home.

While exact details of the accident remain unclear, Barnard said when she heard what had happened she immediately jumped into her car and raced to the accident scene.

“By the time I got there there were no bodies, just the wreckage,” she said, adding she was told people had run onto the road and looted the bakkies shortly after the collision.

Barnard’s little brother, Mohammad Azghar Suleman and another cousin, Zain Adams, survived the crash. Mohammad’s hand was broken while the force of the crash catapulted Zain through the bakkie’s windshield.

The two have been in and out of hospital since.

Barnard shared what Mohammad managed to recall from the accident, saying the side where Tiaan was seated had been completely ripped apart during the impact.

“I was told it happened very quickly and that everyone was shouting. My brother came to after the impact and looked over to Tiaan’s side of the bakkie, but there was nothing.”

“I was told they died instantly,” said Barnard, adding that her cousin Denise Moonsamy and her dad Loganthan Pillay also died in the collision. They were supposed to return home on Sunday.

Tiaan was a local insurance broker who worked for Outsurance.

The two families were neighbours at Sheffield and shared every occasion together as their friendship grew over a period of three years. The Barnards had recently relocated to Phoenix.

“We were friends who became family. We had pool parties together, went to the beach and were always together to share moments,” said Tia.

De Bruin, who recently started working a half-day job, said she would do everything in her power to ensure her children led a normal life following the death of her fiancé.

“Nico learned how to be a father because of the son I have from a previous marriage. We lost two incredibly loving men who were so dedicated to their families and friends,” she said, noting that Nico was a well-known local electrician who often went out of his way to help people, even after hours.

She said Nico had been driving the bakkie behind Tiaan when the collision happened. He rear-ended into Tiaan’s bakkie.

“We can only take this one day at a time. Fortunately we have family and friends to rely on for support,” said De Bruin.

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