Accident victim Thomas Ferreira, who is undergoing rehabilitation in Fourways, spends some time outdoors with his girlfriend and family.

Do you remember the accident at the end of last year, in which teenager Thomas Ferreira was knocked off his motorcycle by a blue-light vehicle? The car allegedly jumped a red traffic light in its terrible rush to get its VIP occupant somewhere. In an intriguing comment this week, the politician who was being transported in the car involved has stated unequivocally that the accident should not be politicised.

The Gauteng local government and housing MEC, Humphrey Mmemezi, who was being transported in the blue-light vehicle had this to say to a local newspaper:

Let’s just remember that about 14,000 people die annually on South Africa’s roads. People should not be ridiculous and politicise this accident, just because a blue-light vehicle was involved. This was an accident just like any other…If you take the annual road death toll into account, blue-light vehicles are not responsible for even one percent of these incidents. We should just be thankful that Ferreira is improving.

Thanks for putting that into perspective for the people of SA, Humphrey. It makes us all feel a lot better about the general state of the nation’s road safety, and the Ferreira family no doubt appreciates your good wishes.

Ferreira was in a coma for weeks but the good news is that he is now slowly recovering in hospital.

[Source and image: Times Live]

[Photographer: Elizabeth Sejake]