'Pedestrian Deaths High In Mogoditshane'

Pini Bothoko | Monday December 3, 2018 14:48

Most of them meet their fate when walking on the roads at night. Drinking and driving also contribute significantly to the rise in road fatalities.

The acting Officer Commanding in the Mogoditshane policing area, Paul Oketsang has appealed to pedestrians to wear visible clothes at night. He pleaded with pedestrians to be cautious when crossing or walking by the roadside.

“Even though I do not have statistics here with me, accidents involving pedestrians are high in this policing area,” Oketsang revealed. “We therefore want to caution our people walking the roads to exercise necessary precautionary measures especially at night, which include wearing clothes that are visible.”

Just over the weekend, two pedestrians were killed in Mogoditshane and Kopong.

Oketsang said in the early morning of Saturday at around 3am, a car near Mogoditshane Spar hit a man in his 40s.

“He was rushed to Princess Marina Hospital (PMH) where he was confirmed dead on arrival by doctors. We currently do not know the deceased’s identity because he did not have any identity documents with him.

“We are therefore pleading with members of the public with a missing family member to contact us,” Oketsang said.

He revealed that after the accident, the police discovered that the driver’s alcohol level was over the limit.

“The driver is currently in police custody helping the police with investigations. When interrogated the driver told the police that he did not see the deceased trying to cross the road, but rather heard a bang noise and stopped the car only to see him lying on the road,” Oketsang said.

He said they are also investigating yet another fatal accident that occurred at Sasako lands near Kopong. It also involved a pedestrian.

“The accident occurred around 12.45am when a middle-aged-man was trying to cross the road. He was rushed to PMH where he was confirmed dead on arrival by the doctor,” he said.

Oketsang said even in this case they do not know the deceased’s identity, because he did not have documentation on him.

“We are once again calling on members of the public who have a missing family member to contact us. The driver is also in police custody helping the police with investigations,” the top cop said.

Oketsang urged motorists to be observant, cautious and ensure that they are vigilant to avoid being victims. He emphasised that pedestrians should make sure that they cross the road after making sure that they are safe.

“Pedestrians should know that their lives are in their hands hence should be cautious at all times.

At this point we do not know if they were under the influence of alcohol or not, but that will only be established after receiving post mortem results,” Oketsang said.

He advised pedestrians to make sure that they pay attention to what is happening around them and avoid being distracted whilst walking by the roadside.

“Pedestrians just like motorists have the right to use the road, but despite having that right they should make sure that they exercise caution at all times,” he said.