Horror Umkomaas crash: Man charged for driving under influence of alcohol after mom & daughter killed
An Umkomaas father, whose wife and mother-in-law were killed in a car accident on Diwali night, did not realise it would be their last gathering together.
Lingie Naidoo, 53, her son Macalen Naidoo, 15, and her mother, Amurtham Govender, 76, were returning home after a Diwali dinner at a relative’s home in nearby Craigieburn when the car she was driving and another collided.
Rajen Pillay, Naidoo’s husband, said: “We had a family get-together at an uncle’s home and enjoyed a sumptuous meal that evening. My wife told me to leave her aunt at her home and they would meet me at our home. We said our goodbyes to our families and left. I was about five minutes behind her vehicle when someone, approaching on the road with a torch, flagged me down.
“I saw the crash and my wife’s Toyota Tazz. I had hoped that their injuries were not serious. After I saw my wife and mother-in-law’s lifeless bodies, I was left traumatized. My son, who was in the back seat, was conscious.
“I am still battling to deal with these emotions.”
Pillay described his wife, a mother of four, and his mother-in-law, a mother of two, as humble. “They were both wonderful and caring people.
“My wife loved serving the community. She did this with pure love.
“My son, who had whiplash and scratches, is still in shock.”
Their funerals were held at the Clare Estate Crematorium on November 9.
Colonel Thembeka Mbele, a provincial police spokesperson, said one suspect was charged for operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, culpable homicide, and reckless and negligent driving.
“It is alleged that on November 4 at 10 pm, police received a complaint of an accident on the Roseneath main road in Umkomaas.
“Upon their arrival on the scene, police noticed two vehicles that had collided.
“One had a 26-year-old male, who was said to be under the influence of alcohol, and the other vehicle had two female occupants, who were declared dead on the scene.
“The suspect was immediately arrested and remanded in custody at Umkomaas SAPS.
“He has since appeared in the Scottsburg Magistrate’s Court and his case is remanded to December 7.”
-IOL
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