Mom of girl killed in Mogaila’s crash is fighting for her life

Player ’s family has contacted hubby

The woman whose daughter died after the car of soccer star Shaune Mogaila smashed into hers is still unconscious in ICU and does not know that her child is dead.

Kea Mavimbela's brother-in-law Patrick Kekana confirmed to Sowetan that the 38-year-old woman is fighting for her life in hospital and not aware that she lost her daughter in the crash.

On Wednesday morning just before 7am,  Mavimbela was driving her nine-year-old daughter Gomolemo and a13-year-old neighbour to school when the Sekhukhune United player's BMW appeared from the opposite direction, jumped over the barrier and crashed into them head-on.

Gomolemo died at the scene while Mavimbela and the 13-year-old boy, whose legs were broken in the crash, were taken to hospital with serious injuries.

Kekana said his sister-in-law was immediately rushed to hospital after the crash and therefore doesn’t know anything related to her child. "She’s not talking or making any movements and she doesn’t know that her child is no more," Kekana said.

At the time of the crash, Mavimbela's husband was at work.

Sitting in his office and not knowing about the tragedy that had befallen his family, Tshepo Kekana decided to call his wife, only for her phone to be answered by a metro police officer who told him to rush to Andrew Mapheto Road in Tembisa.

My wife was not there but my daughter was lying on the ground. It was shocking ... it really broke my heart.Tshepo Kekana

When he arrived there, he saw the mangled remains of his wife's Hyundai and a BMW.

"There were a lot of people there. My wife was not there but my daughter was lying on the ground. It was shocking ... it really broke my heart."

According to Tshepo, Magaila's family reached out to him on the day of the crash with the intent to apologise and he said he does not blame them for what happened as they were not the ones who caused the accident.

Tshepo, who said he was shocked to get a call from the family as he did not know where they got his number from, said the first call he got was from the sister.

At the time, he was still at the crime scene and Magaila – who police were looking for – had fled the accident scene after the crash. "The sister called me and told me that once they find him they will come and speak to us."

Later, it was revealed that Magaila had handed himself in to the Rabie Ridge police in Midrand and the sister called him again and told him that. "She said they will still come and speak to the family about what happened," Tshepo said.

However, the two families are yet to meet.

"They are probably still scared as they don’t know how they will approach us following the tragedy.

"They are not the ones who caused the accident and they can say whatever they want to say. They were not there so I don’t blame them. I just assumed they would have come by now to apologise but I’m just waiting for them to hear what they have to say," he said.

The 13-year-old boy is friends with Gomolemo's sister and only started travelling with the family from March this year.

According to the sister, she used to see her friend battle with transport to and from school and she then asked her mother that he travel with them to school. The boy went to the same school as Gomolemo while the sister attended a different one. The schools are all in Kempton Park.

On the day of the crash, the sister had not travelled with them to school as she is busy with exams and was not writing on Wednesday.

The sister went back to school on Thursday but she had to be picked up early as the school called the family saying she was having a breakdown.

Magaila, who faces charges of culpable homicide, reckless and negligent driving and fleeing the scene of accident, was supposed to appear at the Tembisa magistrate's court on Thursday.

However, the 29-year-old man did not appear in court as planned because the matter had not been put on the roll.

Spokesperson for the National Prosecution Authority (NPA) Phindi Mjonondwane said there had been a delay with the docket.

“The docket that they produced was not court ready and as the NPA we’ve given instructions that the SAPS must comply and return the docket to us on November 1 for a decision,” said Mjonondwane.

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