Celebrity Breeze Bringing you fascinating stories
Related Articles
An 11-year-old girl has been killed and two other children seriously injured after a police van crashed into a shack in Delft, Cape Town, on Saturday evening, 4 October.
The tragedy unfolded just after 18:30, when residents say a police vehicle, speeding with its sirens blaring, lost control and ploughed into a roadside shack on Sandlehout Street. The impact was devastating — the van flattened part of the structure and struck three children who had been standing on the pavement nearby.
By the time the dust settled, 11-year-old Namhla Nondala lay motionless under a sheet of corrugated iron. The two other children, both aged 10, were still breathing but gravely injured.
Witnesses described a scene of chaos and heartbreak as neighbours rushed to help. “It happened so fast,” said one resident. “We heard the siren, then a loud crash. When we ran out, we saw the van inside the shack, and the children under the metal.”
Namhla’s grandmother, Thantaswa Ndalasi, had left the little girl bathing at home before stepping out to a cousin’s house a few streets away. Moments later, her other grandchildren came running, screaming that something terrible had happened.
“I ran home, but Namhla wasn’t in the house,” she said. “Then I saw a crowd down the road. I ran there — and I saw the police van, the shack, and my granddaughter lying on the ground. She was gone.”
The children, according to witnesses, had been waiting to cross the road after returning from a nearby shop. What should have been an ordinary Saturday evening ended in horror.
GroundUp reporters who arrived at the scene described the shattered remains of the shack, with corrugated iron sheets twisted around the front of the police van. A video filmed by a bystander showed residents frantically shouting at police officers as two injured children lay beneath debris, still conscious but in visible pain.
The situation quickly escalated. Angry residents accused the police of negligence and reacted violently, pelting stones at the van before setting it alight. Flames consumed the vehicle as officers scrambled for safety.
Neighbour Nosihle Nkamisa said she helped move Namhla’s body away from the burning van. “We couldn’t just leave her there,” she said. “The fire was getting close, and I asked one of the police officers to help me lift her. I will never forget that moment.”
Community leader Tyelovuyo Mjayezi criticised the police for their handling of the aftermath. “It took them hours to close off the scene,” he said. “When I arrived, there was no tape, no proper control. I asked them why the body wasn’t covered, and they said they were waiting for an ambulance and forensic services. It was heartbreaking to see that level of delay.”
Residents gathered in silence as the flames of the burning police van illuminated the night sky. Many wept openly. Others demanded answers — how a police vehicle, meant to protect, could end up taking the life of a child.
Speaking on behalf of the grieving family, Zola Ndalasi said they went to Delft Police Station that evening seeking clarity. “The station commander told us a case had already been opened,” he said. “But we want justice. We want to know why that van was speeding inside a residential area where children play every day.”
The Western Cape SAPS has referred all inquiries to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID), which confirmed that an investigation is underway.
IPID spokesperson Phaladi Shuping said a case of culpable homicide and reckless and negligent driving has been registered. “According to reports, at about 18:30 on 4 October, three Delft police officers were responding to a murder complaint in progress when their marked vehicle allegedly swerved to avoid an oncoming taxi,” he said. “The van then crashed into a wendy house, hitting three children who were playing nearby.”
The two surviving children remain in hospital in stable but serious condition.
This is not the first such incident in Delft. Just last month, a police van reportedly crashed into a shack in the Gushindoda informal settlement, injuring two people. That case also raised questions about police driving conduct in densely populated neighbourhoods.
Residents say the pattern is alarming. “It keeps happening,” said Mjayezi. “Each time, it’s an ‘accident’ — but it’s our people who pay with their lives. We are tired of being treated like we don’t matter.”
Local councillor Nomfundo Mtembu said the community’s anger is justified. “We are calling for a full investigation, not only into this case but into how police handle high-speed responses in residential areas,” she said. “Lives cannot keep being lost because of reckless driving.”
By Sunday morning, the charred remains of the police van still sat beside the road — a haunting reminder of the night’s events. The shack it destroyed stood partially collapsed, its tin sheets scattered across the sand. Small shoes and a child’s doll, half-buried in dust, were among the debris.
Community members gathered for a small prayer vigil at the site. Candles were lit in honour of Namhla, whose name means “today” in isiXhosa — a cruel irony for a child whose tomorrow was stolen.
Her grandmother, still in shock, said she cannot understand how it happened. “She was such a happy girl,” she said softly. “Always smiling. Always singing. Now I have to bury her because of something that should never have happened.”
As the investigation continues, the questions remain heavy in Delft: why did it take so long to secure the scene? Why are police vans speeding through residential streets? And what measures will be taken to prevent another child from dying this way?
For now, the Ndalasi family waits — for answers, for justice, and for a measure of peace. But in the streets of Delft, that peace feels far away. The smell of smoke still lingers, and so does the grief of a community that has once again been left to pick up the pieces after tragedy struck at its doorstep.
