Long, dark skid marks on the tar, fragments of car parts, pieces of shattered glass windows.
These were the remnants left behind at the scene of a horrific car crash that happened in Tembisa, east of Johannesburg, on Wednesday morning.
Premier Soccer League (PSL) star Shaune Mogaila’s black BMW car smashed into another car, a red Hyundai i10. The crash claimed the life of a nine-year-old child in the process.
Girl, 9, certified deceased at the scene
The red Hyundai i10 was driven by a woman who was transporting two children aged nine and 13 to school. The nine-year-old died at the scene, while the woman and the 13-year-old were rushed to Tembisa Provincial Tertiary Hospital with injuries.
The soccer player handed himself over to the police on Wednesday afternoon. This was after he fled from the scene of the head-on collision.
When Sunday World visited the crash scene on Thursday, the long skid marks on Andrew Mapheto Drive that ended at the crash site painted a glaring picture. They suggested that the soccer player had tried in vain to bring his car to a halt.
One eyewitness who lives in nearby Phomolong, told Sunday World that he saw the black BMW driving at a high speed. It was driving on the opposite lane, before smashing into the Hyundai on the other lane.
No sign of soccer star at accident scene
He said when he arrived at the scene, there was no sign of the soccer player.
The eyewitness, Simphiwe Mogorosi, 19, said after the car crash, community members rushed to the scene. This in an attempt to help the people trapped or injured at the scene.
Mogorosi said when he got to the scene, the woman was in the driver’s seat with her face against the airbag that popped out.
He said the woman had pieces of broken glass all over her face, scratches around her arms, and a torn shirt, which was bloody.
“The little girl [age nine] was trapped underneath the driver’s seat. She was bleeding from the head. We found the boy [aged 13] outside the car. I think he got out of the car through the door after the car crash. The boy’s head was cut open on the side, and he was bleeding on the head,” said Mogorosi.
He said efforts by the community to take the woman and the children out of the car were eventually successful. Thereafter, Ekurhuleni metro police department (EMPD) officials and paramedics arrived at the scene.
Mogorosi said a white substance was coming out of the nine-year-old child’s nose and mouth. This was while she was being attended to by paramedics.
“She died shortly thereafter, and the paramedics covered her with silver foil,” said Mogorosi.
Suspect faces charges including culpable homicide
Gauteng police spokesperson Col Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi gave further details. She said the soccer player suspect handed himself to police on Wednesday afternoon. Nevhuhulwi confirmed that the suspect will be charged with culpable homicide.
The suspect was expected to make his first court appearance at the Tembisa magistrate’s court on Thursday. However, he did not appear.
The state prosecutor in the case, Maxwell Randima, said the case docket is not court-ready. He added that the suspect will make his first court appearance on Friday.
EMPD spokesperson Thabiso Makgato also confirmed the incident. He said the car crash happened on Wednesday at 7.30am on Andrew Mapheto Drive in Tembisa.
Makgato said the soccer player’s vehicle collided with a motor vehicle driven by a female. She had two children passengers in it.
The female driver was transporting her nine-year-old daughter. And the child succumbed to injuries and was declared dead on scene. Another child, a 13-year-old passenger, sustained serious injuries. The child was transported to Tembisa Provincial Tertiary Hospital.
Liquor bottles, suspicious items found in star’s car
