Cape Town: Delft police are investigating a case of culpable homicide after an 11- year-old boy was killed in a hit-and-run this morning.
Provincial spokesperson colonel Andrè Traut said the child succumbed to his injuries.
The driver has not been traced.
“This morning, at around 07.45, the 11-year-old boy sustained fatal injuries when he was knocked over by a taxi in Delft Main Road. The driver of the taxi fled on foot and is yet to be arrested,” said Traut.
Delft Community Police Forum spokesperson Pastor Charles George said the community was concerned about the safety of the children, as children regularly fell victim to the failure of the system.
“Once again, we are very disappointed that a young child like this has to lose his life because of the irresponsibility of the system. We have taxis breaking every rule of the road, and they pass police officers and law enforcement officers who are even too scared to stop these guys.”
“If we could have CCTV footage in these hot spots and areas, we could then immediately see what happened and there could be better ways of catching the culprits.”
“We are very much concerned about the safety of our children because they have to cross these main roads, either to get to school or get to a shop, so they are always vulnerable.
“The road must be shared equally by vehicles, pedestrians and bicycles users and so on. I think more needs to be done to educate our kids about road safety because most children in Delft don't look, they just cross, and they are always playing on the roads, and I am talking about late at night. We need to spend time teaching them about how dangerous it is,” said George.
The circumstances surrounding the culpable homicide accident are under investigation.
Police are appealing to anyone who has any information about the accident to please contact Saps Delft at 021 954 9011 or 082 522 2036.
Weekend Argus