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COMMUNITY members came out in force last week to support the family of eight-year-old Jade-Lee Philander, who died after being hit by a car while crossing the Prince George Drive and Military Road intersection.

Jade-Lee and her 11-year-old sister, Tarryn, were returning home from school on Tuesday, 8 August and were attempting to cross the roadway at the busy intersection when a car hit her at about 13:30.

A 36-year-old motorist in a Toyota Tazz, travelling in the direction of Grassy Park, collided with the young girl as she was about to step onto the traffic island.

Jade-Lee was admitted to the Red Cross Children's Hospital with extreme swelling of the brain. Her life support machines were turned off with her family present two days later.

A crowd of mourners gathered at the Full Gospel Church in Retreat on Wednesday, 16 August to pay their final respects. The congregation murmured in support as the officiating minister called on the authorities to show greater interest in the safety of children.

Steenberg Primary School pupils sang the hymn "Be still and know that I am God" for their classmate. And Jade-Lee's best friend, Kaylin Adams, wrote a special poem for her playmate, crying while reciting it.

From their Seawinds home, Jade's mother, Natasha Philander, said the family was still puzzled about what had happened on the day that their daughter was knocked down. She said the family is eager to see justice done, and that this will help bring closure.

"Jade was such a loving, friendly and soft-hearted girl. The doctors had no hope for her. She would have been mentally handicapped for the rest of her life," Philander said. She expressed her gratitude to everyone who showed their support to the family over the past few weeks.

But community worker Clive Jacobs, who has been lobbying for the introduction of mechanisms to make roads safer for pedestrians in Lavender Hill, said that Jade-Lee will be one person on a long list of victims if the City of Cape Town continues to "ignore" residents' pleas to introduce traffic-calming measures at the Military Road/Prince George Drive intersection.

"Every morning and afternoon, children have to cross this busy intersection. People cross the road to get to shops, banks and doctors in Military Road in Steenberg because there are none situated in Lavender Hill. Taxi fare means spending money so most of the time people prefer walking. How long are the authorities going to ignore this fact? How many more people have to die before something is done?"

Jacobs added that safety measures are needed now more than ever after the expansion of Lavender Hill over the past year brought informal settlements such as Hillwood.

When People's Post visited the intersection of Prince George Drive and Military Road, the pedestrian buttons on the robot were out of order, forcing pedestrians to use their own discretion when crossing the road.

Lavender Hill ward councillor Gerald Morkel said he is aware of the problem and that introducing greater safety measures at this intersection was a "high priority".

He explained that responsibility for the intersection is shared by two wards, split geographically.He said the relevant councillors would soon have to discuss possible solutions with community members and establish a viable solution to the problem.

Steenberg Police spokesperson Inspector Naomi Brooks said a case of culpable homicide is being investigated and that witnesses have been rounded up so that the suspect, who lives in Costa da Gama near Capricorn can be subpoenaed to appear in court soon.

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