Sole survivor of Durban horror crash joins community to pay tribute to his brothers and friend

The 13-year brother of two boys killed in Friday’s horror crash on Chatsworth Main Road, south of Durban, joined hundreds of mourners at a vigil to pay tribute to the four victims on Sunday night. 

He was the only survivor of the tragedy which occurred when a fully loaded roll-back tow truck struck the children who were walking to school.

Bellair community policing forum chair Malcolm Naidoo told TimesLIVE the boy, who was supported by crutches, was devastated. 

“He lost his brothers and brothers are like friends ... How do you ever get over what happened on Friday?” he said.

Video footage shows the truck losing control on a bend and hitting the group of boys before coming to a rest on its roof.

Brothers Thato, 9, and Dimpho Mabooi, 10, died on the scene while seven-year-old Busani Nyamela died in hospital. The truck driver also died on the scene.

Naidoo said the driver’s family had attended the vigil and his father had delivered a speech. Though the incident occurred outside the Bellair precinct, the children lived in an informal settlement there. 

“Our CPF’s deputy chair, Ricki Devnarain, came up with the idea to hold a vigil because these children are our children. They are from our area. We had to be there for the family. We were shocked by the number of people who attended. It united the community and brought a sense of comfort to the family,” he said.

Sbu Dlamini, chairperson of the BelRosView civic organisation, said the vigil served as a poignant reminder of the immense loss suffered by the community.

“The families affected, including those who lost their beloved ones, Dimpho, Thato, and Busani, with only one brother surviving at the age of 13, were deeply touched by the compassion and solidarity shown by all those in attendance.

“It is encouraging to witness the united front our community has formed in the wake of this tragedy,” he said. 

Dlamini said the community firmly believed it was time for authorities to prioritise road-safety measures to prevent such heart-wrenching incidents from reoccurring.

“The community requests immediate attention to be given to arranging safer transportation options.” 

TimesLIVE