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Durban – “It feels like someone took a knife and stabbed me in the heart. He took my only daughter. My only granddaughter.”
This is how Mohammed Khan described the pain of losing his daughter Salahia Dawood, 30, and her nine-month-old daughter, Maseehah, who died when a driver, thought to be drunk, smashed into their car in Travancore Road, Merebank, on Saturday night and then ran away.
Khan’s son-in-law Junaid was seriously injured.
The police have launched a manhunt for the motorist, who is accused of ignoring a stop sign and speeding.
The couple was on their way home from a family gathering.
The driver apparently left his belongings, including his driving licence, in his car.
Police spokesman Thulani Zwane said: “The suspect is still on the run and a case of culpable homicide has been opened at Wentworth police station, but no arrests have been made.”
Junaid is recovering in Durban’s Entabeni Hospital. Khan said
the family had planned to leave for a holiday in the Kruger National Park this week.
“Salahia was so excited about the trip. She spent an entire day shopping with her mother and talking about how much fun she wanted to have with her husband and child.”
Junaid’s father, Razak Dawood, said he was disappointed the suspect did not help his family.
“It is very hard to cope. We have been told by witnesses that the culprit actually phoned someone to come and pick him up from the scene.”
He said traffic lights or speed humps were needed in Travancore Road as it had become infamous for speeding.
On Tuesday night, Road Traffic Management Corporation spokesman Ashraf Ismail said his offices were collating all the road traffic fatality data, accidents and fines from across the country for the Easter weekend and the statistics would be released by Transport Minister Ben Martins on Wednesday or Thursday.
The death toll is expected to be lower than last year’s.
The Mercury
