Tragedy echoes on Soweto road

09 January 2017 - 08:52 By AZIZZAR MOSUPI
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Almost seven years after four schoolchildren were killed on a now infamous stretch of road in Protea Glen, Soweto, residents have mixed feelings about efforts by the government to make Mdlalose Street safer.

BLACK SPOT: Mdlalose Street in Protea Glen has seen some changes since Molemo Maarohanye and his co-accused killed four pupils in 2010.
BLACK SPOT: Mdlalose Street in Protea Glen has seen some changes since Molemo Maarohanye and his co-accused killed four pupils in 2010.
Image: DAYLIN PAUL

The Protea Glen street has become synonymous with disgraced musician Molemo "Jub Jub" Maarohanye.

When mentioning the street name to residents they say: "The street where Jub Jub." before trailing off.

In 2010 Maarohanye and Themba Tshabalala killed four schoolchildren and critically injured two others at the spot when they crashed while racing their Mini Coopers.

It's been almost seven years since the incident but driving down the street one still sees the tall grass on either side that was evident in photographs immediately after the tragedy.

It is not the same, though. A pavement has been laid and a steel barrier erected on the section of the road where the crash happened.

There are also speed humps.

Following the crash, former infrastructure development MEC Faith Mazibuko announced in the department's 2010 budget vote speech that changes would be made to make the road safer.

"We will be constructing.a pedestrian path and barrier, on both sides of the road between Protea Glen and Protea South, where four young people died after being knocked down by cars coming from school," she said.

Now the busy road continues to be used by vehicles, donkey trams, pedestrians and rubbish collectors with their carts in tow.

Residents said there had been a decrease in the number of accidents on the road.

Makhumo Masike, who lives two streets away from the busy main road said that the rate of accidents was "a bit better".

"Before [the upgrades] there would be a big accident every two months but now there is maybe one accident a year. But people have a lot of speed when they drive on that road," said the mother of two.

Zozibini Mtongane, 16, agreed with Masike, saying that the speed humps had made a difference.

"There aren't a lot of accidents any more, ever since they put the speed humps in.

"There was an accident that happened last year but it was a straight accident between cars, not one that involved a [pedestrian]."

Gracious Maisela, however, is not convinced.

"I cannot say they have made a huge difference.they only put in what should have been there before anyway.

"Children still walk in the street because the steel barriers only cover that one part. They should have gone all the way down to where the houses are," he said.

Maisela said the department should have added pedestrian crossings to the plan and incorporated the department of education to teach children more about road safety.

Driving through the narrow roads of the township, Maisela's concerns were evident.

Three children were seen "playing chicken" by running across the road when cars were dangerously close.

Maarohanye and co-accused Tshabalala were released on parole last week after serving four years of an eight-year sentence for culpable homicide.

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