Parents gunning for road racers

Category: National News

Date Added: 10 March 2010

GABISILE NDEBELE

A WEEPING Mametse Masimola tried to sleep, clutching a photograph of her dead son, Phumelelo, 16 — allegedly killed by Molemo “Jub Jub” Maarohanye and Themba Tshabalala, who were racing their trendy Mini Coopers on a busy Soweto street on Monday.

Yesterday, the devastated mother could barely speak as she lay in the bedroom of her Protea Glen home, in Soweto, covered with a towel and trying desperately to stop crying.

In the lounge with his two small boys, aged five and nine, Phumelelo’s father, Pele, spoke of his guilt for not recognising his son’s reluctance to go to school on Monday.

“The last time I saw my son was that morning. He was asking me for money to go to school, but he seemed unhappy about something. It was as if he didn’t want to go to school,” he said.

“But now that this has happened, I am wondering what was wrong and if he could feel this coming. He was my oldest child. Now I’m left with two sons. He respected me and I him. The law must take its course.”

His wife wept: “This Jub Jub killed my child. I have nothing to say to those people. They do things and get away with them. All I’m asking for is for the people to help me give my child a decent burial because he was a decent child.

“My child was walking on the pavement. How could they do this to him? Do we buy their CDs so they can kill our children?”

The Masimolas, and the families of Thamsanqa Prince Muhobe, Mlungisi Cwaya, and Andile Mthobeni, left the Chris Hani-Baragwanath Hospital mortuary wailing after identifying their children’s bodies.

Relatives of two other victims of the racers, the critically injured Frank Mlambo and Fumani Mushwana, were clinging to hope. Mushwana fell into a coma on Monday night.

Thamsanqa Mahube’s mother was supported by relatives as she cried; “Oh umtwanami, ungibulalele umntwanami [Oh my child, he has killed my child].”

His uncle cursed and said: “He is going to pay for this. I could strangle him for doing this to us.”

Thamsanqa’s aunt, Joyce Mtonga, said the 17-year-old was a fan of Jub Jub and his music.

“My heart is so sore because I saw him and the four other children lying there together, all badly injured on their heads, making it hard for us to recognise them.

“Thamsanqa wanted so badly to be an architect, and he loved Jub Jub’s music. But if this is the kind of support we give these artists who end up killing our children with the fancy cars we help them buy, then I do not agree with what they are doing. They must go to jail.”

As the parents arrived at the Protea Glen police station to have their statements taken, Maarohanye’s smiling mother, known as Mama Jackie, strolled in to visit her son.

Angry residents cursed her as she walked in wearing a beige trouser suit, headscarf and dark glasses.

“I’m here to see my son. What do you want? I have no comment for you people,” she said.

Thirty minutes later, she emerged to be confronted by an angry crowd.

“You’d better not get out of your house. You think this is a laughing matter? Sies on you,” said an onlooker before Jackie Maarohanye sped off in a black Citroen C2.

Johannesburg metro police spokesman Edna Mamonyane said a breathalyser test on Tshabalala showed that his blood contained twice the legal level of alcohol.

“You could literally smell the alcohol when he spoke. His counterpart, Maarohanye, was also tested but found to be under the limit. But we took [blood from] both which will be taken for further tests, including narcotics tests,” she said.

Police spokesman Kay Makhubele said Maarohanye and Tshabalala did not appear in court yesterday because they were referred for a medical examination.

“They have been charged with culpable homicide, and reckless and negligent driving, and have been detained at the police station. We are opposing their bail.”

The two will appear in the Protea Magistrate’s Court today.

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Source: The Times