Heartbreak after crèche crash
2008-07-31 09:03
Pietermaritzburg - Anita and Sid Moonsamy struggled for 17 years to have a baby daughter, Saiyona.
On Wednesday, they had to bury her after the owner of the crèche she attended accidently drove into her, and nine other children, on Tuesday evening.
Parents of children who attended the Oriental Day Care Centre with Saiyona, friends and neighbours said it was heartbreaking to watch the family weep for a child they had wanted so desperately and who did not live long enough to see her first birthday.
The Moonsamys also have an 18-year-old son, Vileshen. The family were devastated by the tragedy and would not speak to The Witness on Wednesday.
A spokesperson said they still were trying to come to terms with the loss. They were devastated and were too emotional to talk at this stage, he said.
Other children discharged
The nine other children who were injured in the accident have all be discharged from hospital.
The crèche owner, a 44-year-old woman, got into the car that had been parked in the driveway with the intention of reversing. Instead, she engaged the wrong gear and drove forward into the garage and into the children.
Police spokesperson Senior Superintendent Henry Budhram said the woman could not be named at this stage as charges still had to be laid.
He said the woman, who was in hospital in a traumatised state, has given a statement to the police and they had statements from other witnesses as well.
He said that, given the freak nature of the accident, the police were seeking guidance from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions on how to proceed.
"We are handling these investigations with caution and in a humane manner, given the extremely tragic circumstances in which it all happened," he said.
Mixed reactions from parents
There have been mixed reactions from parents that range from anger, to confusion, to trying to make sense of what happened.
Uppermost in most minds was that it could have been their child.
One mother, who did not want to be named, said at present everyone was upset, but she knew that the person hurting equally badly was the woman who ran the crèche.
"I'm not angry at anybody, I'm reminding myself all the time that this was a accident, and that she loved our children.
"She ran a crèche with all girls and just one little boy and she was very good to them. Accidents happen in a split second and our whole lives can change," said the parent.
She added that her three-year-old daughter said she did not want to go to school because the car was there.
Inspection planned
"She hasn't had a nightmare so far, but I can see that she is disturbed and the nurses at the hospital said that the children should go for counselling.
The Msunduzi Municipality said on Wednesday it had no records of the Oriental Day Care Centre and it might be operating illegally.
Spokesperson Evodia Mahlangu, said an inspection had been planned for Thursday and the municipality would comment afterwards.
- The Witness