Bail for drag racing accused

The bereaved families of the victims of an alleged drag-race accident at Tshivhilwi outside Thohoyandou are still in the dark about the release of the driver of the vehicle on bail.

Mphedziseni Mawela (28) was released on R2 000 bail by the Tshaulu Periodical Court on Tuesday. He was driving the vehicle that had allegedly killed seven community members. Mawela had been in hospital since the accident happened three weeks ago. He was released from hospital last Friday and was in police custody.

He made his first court appearance in the Thohoyandou Magistrate's Court on Monday, where he was formally charged on seven counts of murder. On Tuesday, he appeared in the Tshaulu Periodical Court again for a formal bail application, and bail of R2 000 was granted to him. No conditions were attached to his bail.

According to Limpopo police spokesperson Brig Hangwani Mulaudzi, the police had taken blood samples from the accused and were still waiting for the results. He is to appear again in court on 29 May.

Reacting after hearing that the accused had been granted bail, an angry Mr Daniel Rangani, who lost his daughter, Vhusiwana (25,) and had his granddaughter, Tendani Nephalama (2), seriously injured in the accident, said the police had not been fair to them. "The police owe us an apology. How can they take someone who has wronged us so much to court without our knowledge? We were not  told that he had been released from hospital. As families, I think we deserve to know everything about this case. Not letting us know about his appearance is an infringement on our rights," he added.

Rangani said they would have mobilised the community if they had known and gone to court to urge the court not to give him bail. "We are greatly saddened. R2 000 is nothing compared to the damage and pain he caused us as families. How are we going to look at him when we meet him on the street? I suspect something did not go right here; the familes need an explanation," he said.

Mulaudzi said the police would make sure that all the families were informed about the progress of the case. "This is a very serious case and the families need to know everything that is happeneing. We will make sure our officers are dispatched to the different families to notify them formally," he said.

The accident happened late on Saturday, 10 March. It is alleged that two cars were racing along the busy village street at Tshidzini when one of the drivers lost control and ploughed the car into a group of people. Seven of them died and four, including the driver, were injured.

The victims are Munei Munyai (12), Tsumbedzo Ravhanga (13), Vusiwana Rhangani (25), Thifhelimbilu Magaligwa (31), Kenneth Nemaungani (24), Wilson Ravhanga (71) and Daphne Mbedzi (26).

News - Date: 02 April 2012

Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

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