A 22-year-old man
appeared in a Cape Town court on Monday on a charge of culpable homicide.
Two sisters, 6-year-old
Nishaat Thomas, and her 1-year-old sister Nurah were in a fatal accident on the
corner of Merrydale and Wespoort Drive in Portland, Mitchells Plain, just around
16:30 on Friday, 3 March.
SUPPLIED - Facebook - Mariam Armien Sterras: Nurah Thomas, 1, and her 6-year-old sister, Nishaat.‘’Two minors were
transported to a nearby hospital for medical treatment as a result of injuries
sustained during the collision. A six years old girl was declared deceased by
the medical personnel whilst the one year old child sustained serious injuries
and later died due to injuries sustained,’’ said Captain FC van Wyk.
It is alleged that the
taxi driver had jumped a red traffic light and was without a valid driver’s
license or taxi permit.
Western Cape police arrested
the suspect at his home in Kraaifontein on Saturday, 11 March.
The DA in the Western
Cape has expressed its outrage by the killing of two children, believed to be
sisters, in Portland, Mitchells Plain.
The DA’s Western Cape
Spokesperson on Mobility, Derrick America, said he will be writing to Mobility
MEC, Ricardo Makenzie, calling for swift action and to engage with the taxi
industry in the province to find long-term solutions to prevent such incidents
from happening in the future
‘’The incident
highlights the urgent need for stricter regulations and enforcement of the taxi
industry in the Western Cape. Furthermore, the new Provincial Department of
Mobility will ensure the strict enforcement of traffic laws and harsher
penalties for those who violate them. Keeping unsafe drivers and unroadworthy
cars off our streets translate directly to more lives saved on our roads.’’
America says he invited
Mackenzie to appear before the Western Cape’s Standing Committee on Transport on
4 April 2023, to measures and plans are in place to regulate the taxi industry
and keep road users safe.
Done by: Mitchum George
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