As the man accused of driving the bakkie that crashed and claimed the lives of five pupils prepared to appear in court on Wednesday, the children’s families have asked mense to stop spreading false rumours about them being “suicidal”.
The 55-year-old was set to appear in the Mitchells Plain Magistrates Court after he was arrested on charges of culpable homicide shortly after the accident on AZ Berman Drive on Tuesday.
The pupils, aged five to 13, are from Wespoort Primary, Lentegeur High, Duneside Primary, Harvester Primary, Ridgeville Primary and Highlands Primary.
They died after their driver allegedly lost control of the vehicle and slammed into a tree and robot, causing the children to be flung from the bakkie.
Lathitha Eiman, a Grade 2 learner at Ridgeville Primary, also tragically lost her life. Pinki said she learnt about her daughter’s death via social media.
“As a mother, seeing your child lying there and it’s being shared all over social media, is something you will never forget. It is heartbreaking to find out that way.”
The mom said she rushed to the scene where she found her daughter lifeless.
“She was already covered but I knew her by her hands and hair. I knew it was her.”
Pinki said her house felt empty without her daughter.
“She was a bubbly one. She could talk a lot! Now the house is quiet without her.”
She said Lathitha had been travelling with the driver since the beginning of the year.
“He is not the owner of the vehicle but he drives the vehicle.”
Pinki said while they haven’t yet made funeral arrangements, she was thankful for all the help being offered.
Hours after the crash on Tuesday, several funeral parlours offered their services free of charge to the affected families.
Private investigator Desmond Finnis also stepped in to offer his skills pro bono.
It is understood that Lathitha’s younger cousin, who is also a Ridgeville Primary pupil, survived the accident and is being treated in hospital.
Pinki also slammed rumours on social media that one of the dead pupil’s mothers had committed suicide after the accident, saying it’s not true.
“Social media has already caused the families so much heartsore, please stop,” the ma added.
Meanwhile, a video circulating about the “bakkie driver” on the scene is also causing problems for an innocent man.
The man addressed the allegations on TikTok, saying he was not the driver.
“Someone took a photo of me, and posted ‘bastard killed five children’. I was not a bastard, I was just the guy being the parent helping the little ones in the bakkie, I couldn’t attend to the other one, because there were other people there.
“But people, if you’re gonna post some stuff, do it right, get the proper information. But I was not the guy driving,” he said.
On Tuesday evening, hundreds of mourners from across the Cape Flats paid their respects to the five pupils.