Family cries for answers after accident

Anna (59) and Boitselo Seboni (3) died on Legodi Street, Ikageng, on 1 March 2023 when a taxi driver knocked them down. Anna, the family breadwinner, leaves behind Masetshego, Patricia, Naledi, and Oumanyana Seboni. Patricia is the mother of three-year-old Boitselo. Masetshego, who arrived on the scene 10 minutes after the incident and before the police, says her mother and niece were under the taxi. Bystanders explained that her mother (carrying Boitselo on her back) was behind the minibus when the driver reversed and drove over them. The three-year-old died in the incident, and Anna (59) passed away in the hospital at 16:00 that day. Bystanders explained to Masetshego what had happened. “The taxi driver (20) does not have a licence or even a learner’s. He drove past my mother and niece on the way. The taxi was at a standstill before he reversed and drove over them. There is no way the driver would not have seen them if he had looked in his rearview mirror.” “The father removed his son (the driver) from the scene and took him home before the police processed him. He was a reservist for the SAPS for many years and knows the law. Why was he allowed to remove his son from the scene?” Masetshego explains that this act was only the beginning. “When the case started, we went to court as a family. The other family would enter a room with their lawyer. After a while, they would come out and tell us the case was postponed. They did not include us in any discussions,” Masetshego says. “The detective who handled the case never gave me any information regarding the case. We once went to his office as a family, and they said he was on leave. Till today, we haven’t heard from him. Those police officers are cooking something.” “The post-mortem report said my mother was next to the taxi, but I saw with my own eyes that this detail was not important in court. Our laws failed us; they protect the people who committed a crime. We are all going through depression while they protect a boy with a presumably bright future.” The Seboni family explains that while they were organising the funeral, the Taxi Driver Association came to them and presented them with a cow to show their regret. “The father of the man who caused the accident says they brought a cow to the victim’s family and helped with the funeral. They didn’t help us with anything. His lawyer said he should get a lesser sentence because he is young with a bright future. He left school in Gr. 10 to drive taxis; he does not even have a licence. There is no bright future in that,” Patricia states angrily. “The lawyer of the driver said no matter the sentence the magistrate handed down, it would never bring the deceased back. How can you say that? Does that make it okay? Disabled people go to jail for things they did. There is nothing wrong with this young man, yet they want him to get a lesser sentence?” Patricia asks, heartbroken. “The suspect’s lawyer said that was the first time he had driven, but it was not. We have seen him drive a taxi before that. I saw him picking up a child from Bright Beginnings in Ikageng yesterday (10 April). He drives without a licence; he is still driving without one.” After over a year, the family remains torn by grief. “We cannot work because of depression. My life was normal before this. We are a poor family, we are struggling,” Masetshego exclaims. “Other young men get 10 years or more in jail for crimes they commit. Why should he get a lesser sentence? He killed two people while driving without a licence.” “It would be wrong to take the law into our hands. In Gauteng and Klerksdorp, they take tyres and burn people for accidents like these because the justice system fails them. We don’t want to do that, but we want justice,” Patricia says. “The case is ending, but we still don’t have the answers we need. Why are there so many lies, mistakes and corruption in this case? Why is it allowed? We are so tired of this. “I know they won’t come back, but I want justice for my mother and child. That is all I want,” Patricia states. Colonel Adéle Myburgh says the suspect appeared in court for the first time on 2 March 2023. “The investigating officer is in constant communication with the mother of the child who died. The last court appearance was on 12 March 2024 to determine a trial date, but the accused pleaded guilty to two counts of culpable homicide and driving without a licence. The case comes before the court again on 23 April 2024 for sentencing. The prosecutor also indicated that she had communicated with the family on this matter,” Col. Myburgh stated.