Human cost of taxi lawlessness: families left to grieve lost lives

Sellina Mokotedi, 25, has become an instant mother to her twin sister Rachel's child. Petunia Moila recoils as she recalls her helplessness and horror when she witnessed the road accident that killed her 44-year-old sister, Winnie Mlati.

The two women lost their lives to a taxi driver's  recklessness just over a month ago. Their deaths highlight the real cost of taxi lawlessness on Johannesburg's roads.

Video footage of the accident shows the minibus taxi driver speeding on the wrong side of the road to cut through traffic, ploughing into the two office workers walking on Jan Smuts Avenue in Craighall Park, Johannesburg. 

One person is seen being violently knocked to the side of the road, while the other is not visible in the frame. It was later discovered that it was Rachel, who was trapped under the taxi. 

The video is not published on this platform due to its graphic content.

"It's painful. I think about it every day ... but I am trying my best to be a good mother to her child," Sellina told TimesLIVE as she spoke in the aftermath of her sister's death. 

Petunia Moila had to experience the horror of witnessing her sister Winnie's awful death. She said her sister's body "flew through her legs".

"It seemed like a bad, weird dream. It was like I was still going to wake up and come back to reality. I couldn't even cry," a still shocked Petunia recalls.   

The accident happened on December 13, moments after they had left their workplace. 

The four women - Rachel, Winnie, Sellina and Petunia - worked together at a logistics company in Craighall Park. 

A security guard in the vicinity of the accident said he was still in shock.

The guard, who did not want to be named, said he saw a speeding red taxi filled with passengers and driving on the wrong side of the road. 

"The accident happened within minutes. The taxi hit the two ladies. One lady was under the taxi, one was on the pavement, still breathing but bleeding. People started coming to the scene, and they were shouting, calling for the driver to be beaten up ... he just ran away."

The driver was later arrested.

The guard said the  woman who was under the bus was injured beyond recognition and was declared dead on the scene. Several taxi passengers bled heavily. 

"It was really bad, one person even lost their eye," he said.

A month later, the memory of the accident remains fresh in the minds of relatives and co-workers.

"It was a normal day at work. Rachel was her bubbly self, as usual. We actually had tea [at breakfast time] and lunch together that day ... I didn't think it was going to be the last time I see her," said Sellina. 

Rachel had been employed as the front receptionist while the other three worked as call centre agents. 

Her manager, Verlecia Jeftha, was emotional speaking about Rachel. 

"She was the front of the company for a reason. She was a genuine person. Beautiful inside and out, bubbly, no issues with people, and had the most beautiful smile.

"She had a passion for working and interacting with different people. She wanted to touch people's lives and was just a very hard-working individual," Jeftha said.

Both the families are waiting for information about the driver who took their loved ones' lives.

"We know that he was released on R2,000 bail but do not know when he will be returning to court," said Petunia.

Sellina said: "The detective has been supportive, calling and checking up on us. It is unclear when he will be going to court, but the detective said the investigation was under way."

The two expressed disappointment at how the taxi driver never apologised, nor made contact with the family. 

"Life is probably back to normal for him. Even the taxi association has never said a thing," said Petunia.    

Rachel and Winnie are two names that can be inked in against the total of 1,612 deaths  on SA's roads during the festive season, according to the preliminary report recently released by transport minister Blade Nzimande. The report covered the period December 1 2018 to January 8 2019.   

City of Johannesburg MMC for public safety Michael Sun described the accident as unfortunate and called on the taxi industry to "step up and tackle the challenge". 

"It's high time that the taxi industry looked into themselves. Associations can do so much more, like regulating and training their drivers," he said. 

Sun said awareness campaigns introduced to curb the scourge of road accidents and fatalities were having positive results. 

"Over the course of December, 501 unworthy vehicles were impounded and at least 620 people were arrested for drinking and driving ... We've also managed to reduce road fatalities by at least 29% in the city over the festive season," said Sun. 

Johannesburg is running a campaign to remove unroadworthy vehicles from the streets. Operation Buya Mthetho (Let the law return) was launched in 2018 by Johannesburg metro police chief David Tembe.    

Metro police spokesperson Wayne Minnaar said more than 1,000 taxis had been impounded since the start of the campaign. 

"Less than a month into the year, more than 40 taxis have been impounded. This goes to show that we have a serious problem and are working tirelessly to fight it," he said. 

Meanwhile, Rachel's mother is battling to overcome the pain of her daughter's death.

On Tuesday Sellina said: "My mother called me and asked that I send her the video of the accident. After seeing it again, all she said was, 'It's like my child died like a dog.'" 

THREE OTHER TIMES TAXI DRIVERS WERE SEEN BEHAVING BADLY: