Biker cop’s sad final moments 29 Sep 2014 Cape Argus Nontando Mposo Officer, pedestrian among 18 killed on Cape roads over weekend WITH his last few breaths, a Cape Town motorcycle rider and police officer asked a fellow rider to hold his hand. A few agonising seconds later, Constable Lebohang “Fish” Matease was dead. Metres away, a Kenyan man identified only as Ben also lay dead. The two were among 18 people killed on Western Cape roads at the weekend – the highest fatality count this month. Authorities warned last week of the socalled pay-day weekend death tolls, when more people die on the province’s roads than at any other time of the month. Matease, riding his Honda 919 CBR, had collided with pedestrian Ben in the early hours of Saturday on Plumstead’s Main Road opposite Pirates Steakhouse and Pub. At the scene yesterday, pieces of Matease’s motorcycle were scattered across the road. Police spokesman Captain FC van Wyk said that Matease, 30, who was stationed at the Steenberg police station, was off duty at the time of the incident, which had happened at about 2.30am. Van Wyk said Matease died from his injuries and a culpable homicide case had been opened. Both men had died at the scene. A member of Khayelitsha’s Kasi-Riders Mcc, one of three black-founded motorcycle clubs in the Western Cape, said Matease was an avid motorcycle rider who went by the riding handle “Mad-x”. The club’s president, Mzingisi Baartman, told the Cape Argus yesterday that Matease, who lived in Muizenberg, and other bikers had been heading towards Plumstead after a bikers’ event. Baartmansaid Matease was conscious for a few moments after the collision and had asked a fellow rider to hold his hand before he died. “He was a sweet and humble guy who loved cracking jokes,” Baartman said. He said Matease, who was popular in riding circles, rode a blue Honda 919 CBR. Born in Bloemfontein in the Free State, he had joined the club two years ago. The club is made up of 15 black riders who are 30 or younger. “We are all very close and are more like brothers than club members. Not a day goes by without phoning or messaging each other,” said Baartman. A Pirates Steakhouse and Pubemployee, who declined to be named, said Ben had been a regular at the pub. She said that Ben had crossed the road from the Purple Onion club opposite the pub when the motorbike struck him. Another bike rider, Nkagisang Maduo, of Bravehearts Mcc Cape Townsaid Matease’s death was a great loss to the black biking community. “We are shaken as it’s the first death in our black biker clubs,” he said. As far as his biker friends knew, Matease was unmarried. Maduo, 30, said that more young black people were buying motorbikes and that there was an increase in black bikers in the past four years. “Some love the adrenaline rush that comes with riding a fast motorbike, and others just want to look good on a bike,” said Maduo. The bikers met regularly for a braai or to do charity work in townships, he said. A colleague of Matease, who declined to be named, described him as a hard worker. Police are trying to contact Matease’s family in Bloemfontein. Yesterday, provincial traffic chief Kenny Africa said the toll of 18 fatalities this weekend was the highest this month. Africa said that were it not for the arrests of 38 drunk drivers in 24 roadblocks on Friday and Saturday, it could have been higher. Elsewhere in the country, 21 people were killed in road crashes over the weekend, police and emergency services told Sapa yesterday. A man was arrested in the Northern Cape for culpable homicide after 13 people were killed and 26 injured when a bakkie and a taxi collided on the N18 near Hartswater, police said yesterday. “The passengers from the bakkie were flung off and strewn all over the N18 and others landed into a nearby water canal,” Lieutenant Olebogeng Tawana said. Four bodies were found in the canal. The crash happened between Taung and Magogong on Saturday afternoon. Twelve people were declared dead on the scene while one died on the way to hospital. The 59-year-old driver of the bakkie was expected to appear in the Hartswater Magistrate’s Court today. In KwaZulu-Natal, five people were killed when the taxi they were travelling in overturned in the Uthungulu district in Richards Bay on Saturday night, emergency medical services spokesman Robert McKenzie said. Four people died at the scene, and the fifth victim, a three-month-old baby, died in hospital, McKenzie said. In separate incidents, a man was killed and six people were injured when two cars collided on the R612 near Breamer yesterday, Mckenzie said. In Durban, two men were killed yesterday around 2am when the vehicle they were travelling crashed into a tree near the Kendra Hall in Greyville, paramedics said.
Posted on: Mon, 29 Sep 2014 04:47:57 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015