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This scene greeted rescue workers on Saturday evening.

Weekend tragedy

Date: 23 May 2016 By: Isabel Venter

What was supposed to be a weekend of fun turned into tragedy, when three young men passed away in a gruesome accident last Saturday night.

Rotondwa Tsotang Maliavusa (21), Clarrance Raphala (19) and Vhatali Nemavhola (age could not be confirmed) were killed when the vehicle they were travelling in collided with a taxi. Rotondwa was driving the Toyota Corolla of his aunt, Vhatali’s mother. Rotondwa is a former pupil of High School Louis Trichardt and news of the fatal accident sent shock waves through fellow friends and learners.  

According to information provided by the police, the trio were driving in an easterly direction on the Madombidzha road. Just a few kilometres before Louis Trichardt, Rotondwa apparently lost control of the vehicle at a bend in the road. A taxi belonging to Matshavha Bros was travelling in the opposite direction.

It is suspected that the three men's vehicle then veered into the oncoming taxi’s lane and the two vehicles collided head-on. Rotondwa and Vhatali were killed on impact. Clarrance, who was sitting in the back, was rushed to the Louis Trichardt Memorial Hospital but died shortly after arrival.

The taxi was carrying two passengers, who suffered minor cuts and bruises and received medical treatment on the scene of the accident.

The police indicated that they have opened a case of culpable homicide to determine the exact cause of the accident. They were not willing to reveal preliminary details about the case as the investigation was still ongoing. A spokesperson from the police’s provincial communications office, Capt Nelufulu, confirmed on Tuesday that the taxi’s roadworthiness will be determined as part of the investigation. Rumours that the Rotondwa did not have valid driver’s licences will also be investigated.

Rotondwa and his friends’ tragic death comes not even a month after the MEC for Transport, Mrs Mapula Mokbaba Phukwana, warned about Limpopo’s dangerous roads.

During April, in her department’s budget speech for the period 2016/17, she warned that drastic measures should be put in place to protect the safety of motorists on the province’s roads. She mentioned that Limpopo, after KwaZulu-Natal, was the province with the most road fatalities.

Throughout the 2015/16 financial year, a total of 1 622 motorists were arrested for drunk driving and a further 2 873 for their vehicles' not being roadworthy. For this reason Phukwana indicated that her department would apply the bulk of their budget to reduce road fatalities and make provincial roads safer for both pedestrians and motorists.

Sadly, Phukwana’s resolve was too late for Rotondwa, Clarrance and Vhatali. While rescue workers were still struggling to remove Rotondwa and Vhatali’s bodies from the wreckage, the police arrested a man on the accident scene on suspicion of drunk driving. The man was on his way to Madombidzha and stopped at the accident scene. While enquiring from the police and rescue workers why the road had been blocked off, he allegedly became rowdy and was arrested.

 

 
 
 

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Isabel Venter

Isabel joined the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror in 2009 as a reporter. She holds a BA Degree in Communication Sciences from the University of South Africa. Her beat is mainly crime and court reporting.

 
 

More photos... 

Rotondwa Tsotang Maliavusa. Photo: Facebook.

Clarrance Raphala. Photo: Facebook.

Vhatali Nemavhola. Photo: Facebook.

The twisted wreckage of the vehicle Rotondwa, his cousin Vhatali and another friend, Clarrance, were driving in.

The twisted wreckage of the vehicle Rotondwa, his cousin Vhatali and another friend, Clarrance, were driving in.

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