YOLANDA Pienaar (38) from Silver City in Mitchells Plain, Cape Town is in pain after losing her child in a car accident on Sunday afternoon, 31 December.
Her daughter Zia Pienaar (9) was playing with other kids near the corner of Swartklip and Steve Biko Road when she was hit allegedly by a woman driver, whose car dragged her for over 100 metres after hitting her.
It's alleged the car swayed off the road and hit the girl walking near the yellow line.
Speaking to the SunTeam, Yolanda said she was devastated to lose her daughter at such a tender age.
“I was in Delft on my way to town when the incident happened. I was going to celebrate the new year in Cape Town, and my daughter walked me to the taxi rank and told me: ‘see you in the new year’. That’s how we parted ways. She was even asking me why I was taking so long to leave since she wanted to walk me to the taxi rank,” said Yolanda.
The mother of two said while she was in Delft she received a call from her neighbour who said her daughter had been bumped by a car and had died.
Yolanda said she was shocked because she had left her daughter safe and happy an hour earlier.
Yolanda lost the father of her son (5) in 2022 after he was shot and killed in her area, and she lost both her parents when she was still young.
“I felt like I could kill myself because I had nothing to live for. I loved my daughter so much because she looked exactly like me. We looked alike. You wouldn’t even ask if she was my daughter because we looked alike,” said the heartbroken Yolanda.
She said the bond she had with Zia was unbreakable.
When the SunTeam visited Yolanda’s home a day after the incident, neighbours said they had not seen her and her son since the day of the incident. However, Daily Sun tracked her down at her friend's house as the friend had been taking care of them since the incident.
The friend, Laila Maliza said Yolanda had been drinking since the incident as she was trying to deal with the situation.
“I took her and her son in and told her to stop drinking since it would not help her with anything. She had not slept for more than 24 hours and wasn’t eating. I cooked for her and gave her space to sleep. I’m here to give her the support that she needs during the difficult times,” said Laila.
Police spokesman Warrant Officer Joseph Swartbooi confirmed that cops from Mitchells Plain SAPS responded to the incident.
“Upon their arrival on Swartklip Road, Tafelsig they found a body of a nine-year-old girl. The victim was declared deceased on the scene by the medical personnel. According to reports, the victim was knocked over by the driver of a motor vehicle, a sober 33-year-old woman,” said Swartbooi.
A case of culpable homicide is under investigation.
