A heartbreaking tragedy involving a Zimbabwean family has left many people shocked after a mother and her one-year-old child lost their lives in a horrific accident on the N1 near Bela-Bela in Limpopo.
The victims, identified as 37-year-old Beauty Shoperai and her baby boy, Paul Masunda Jnr, were struck by a vehicle linked to Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi’s protection services while trying to cross the highway on Saturday.
According to reports, the tragic incident happened shortly after Beauty’s husband, Paul Masunda, had already been killed in a separate accident on the same road.
Family members have now revealed that the couple had been living in South Africa without proper documentation for several years. Despite this, they say they are hoping authorities will still assist them in taking the bodies back to Zimbabwe for burial.
Speaking about the painful incident, Beauty’s brother, Charles Shoperai, said the family is still struggling to accept what happened.
He explained that Beauty had been preparing to travel to Zimbabwe to visit her sick mother. Her husband reportedly accompanied her to a bus stop before tragedy struck.
It is alleged that Paul Masunda was hit by a vehicle and died at the scene. The couple’s 14-year-old son reportedly witnessed the accident and immediately contacted his mother to inform her.
While rushing to the scene with her children, Beauty attempted to cross the busy N1 highway. During that moment, a vehicle transporting Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi allegedly struck her and the children.
Beauty and her one-year-old son sadly died at the scene, while the surviving child was left traumatised by the devastating events.
The family says the teenager has not been coping well since the tragedy.
“We try to speak to him and make him laugh, but he hardly says anything,” Charles said.
He also revealed that representatives from the minister’s office contacted the family on Thursday to discuss possible assistance.
However, the family admitted that the deceased did not have passports or legal documents to stay in South Africa.
“We only had IDs and not passports. They came to South Africa illegally,” he explained.
Despite the documentation challenges, the family remains hopeful that they will receive support to repatriate the bodies to Zimbabwe.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe confirmed that the minister’s official vehicle was being driven by a member of the Protection Security Services at the time of the collision.
She said preliminary investigations indicate that Beauty was crossing the road with two children, one strapped to her back, while trying to reach the scene where her husband had died earlier.
Mathe stated that after the collision, the minister, his driver, and security personnel immediately stopped and remained at the scene until emergency services arrived.
Police have since opened two separate culpable homicide investigations linked to both accidents.
The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) has also taken over the investigation because both drivers involved are members of SAPS.
The tragedy has left both the family and community devastated as they continue mourning the loss of three loved ones in one day.
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