A 50-year-old man was attacked by members of the public, with angry mobs torching his vehicle after a fatal drag race in Ekurhuleni.
This comes after a tragedy occurred in the Daveyton area on Sunday when two motor vehicles involved in an illegal drag race hit several pedestrians.
The accident happened at the corner of Simunye Road and Madikizela Drive in Etwatwa.
Losing control
The Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) said the driver of the car lost control during the race.
“It is alleged that a white Toyota Etios and a white Nissan 1400 were involved in an illegal drag race, when the driver of the Toyota Eros lost control and collided with a group of children and adults between the ages of 8 and 37, who were walking on the pavement.
“An 8-year-old boy died at the scene, and two 12-year-old boys with minor injuries were taken to the nearest hospital for treatment. Three other pedestrians aged 12, 30 and 37 were treated for shock by emergency services,” said EMPD.
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The public is furious
EMPD said the community took action against one driver for the accident.
“The 50-year-old male Toyota Etios driver, who was attacked by members of the public and his vehicle was killed, was transported to the nearest hospital for treatment.”
“Furthermore. the unknown driver of the white Nissan 1400 fled the scene to avoid violent members of the community, who killed the vehicle they left behind,” he said.
EMPD urges the public not to take the law into their own hands and to report illegal activities and drag racing to the police.
The children were killed by the driver
The fatal drag race comes just a day after a driver ran over pedestrians before crashing into a tree in Pretoria on Saturday.
The incident, which happened around 17:00 in Salvokop, left three children dead and several others – including a pregnant woman – injured.
Emer-G-Med said the driver fled the scene.
“When you come [at the] a BMW sedan was found veered off the road, hitting seven pedestrians and killing three.
The South African Police Service (Saps) is investigating the incident.
Also read: Driver flees as three children die in Pretoria crash