
Katlehong family still reeling from teen who died after 68-year-old woman rammed into crowd
According to witnesses, a woman drove her car into a crowd of young girls, killing Pretty Mahlangu and injuring others.
The teen was laid to rest on Sunday in Katlehong, but her family and community said they are still looking for answers.
What was meant to be a day of celebrations turned tragic when the 13-year-old was run over by a car.
The teen was part of a group of young maidens who were part of the traditional Sweet 16 ceremony known as Umhlonyane in the Zulu culture that was held in Germiston.
It's alleged that a disgruntled neighbour of the hosting family took issue with what she allegedly labelled as revealing traditional Zulu attire.
[WATCH] 'This seems like racism' - Katlehong residents still reeling after incident
Simphiwe Khumalo, whose family was hosting the gathering, explained what happened next: 'So, three cars approached. We managed to turn back two of the cars, but then one of the cars went through the barricade and when she was approaching the kids, I jumped in front of the car trying to stop her.'
She said that the woman proceeded to bump her and speed through the group of girls.
'She just drove straight into the crowd of children and ran over a child twice because when they were busy pushing each other in that stampede the kid lost balance when she fell. She drove over.'
The family said they have not received confirmation on the suspect's arrest but were informed by police that a case of culpable homicide has been opened.

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Eyewitness News
3 days ago
- Eyewitness News
Attorney of woman accused of killing Pretty Mahlangu says he advised her not to apologise immediately after the incident
JOHANNESBURG -The attorney of the woman accused of running over a crowd of girls and killing one of them said he advised his client not to reach out to apologise immediately after the incident. Kineil Muthray said it was too soon, and he did not want to further aggrieve the family. His client, 68-year-old Martha van der Walt, is facing charges of culpable homicide; she was released on R5,000 bail on Friday by the Germiston Magistrates Court. The Germiston Magistrates Court heard how the State still needed to get a post-mortem report and download the video footage which captured the incident. Pretty Mahlangu's family expressed disappointment when they saw the woman walk free, saying she had no remorse as she still had not apologised. READ: Attorney of woman accused of killing Pretty Mahlangu says they have different version of incident Muthray said that earlier in July, Van der Walt wanted to reach out to the family, but he advised her against it. "I advise that it's an open wound, it's really difficult and it's not going to feature very well if they are going to reach out to the family at this stage. I did request that the investigating officer facilitate this during the first matter that wasn't enrolled. He said that he would do that, but he also said it would be difficult." He added that the accused also wanted to help with financial support for the young girl's family.

IOL News
3 days ago
- IOL News
Woman granted bail after fatal incident during traditional ceremony in Germiston
Pretty Mahlangu was killed after a car rammed into a group of teens during a traditional ceremony A woman, accused of knocking over a teenage girl during a traditional ceremony in Germiston last month, has been granted R5,000 bail. Martha van der Walt, 68, appeared in the Germiston Magistrate's Court on Friday where she faced a charge of culpable homicide. Last month, Pretty Mahlangu, 13, was killed after a vehicle rammed through a group of teens taking part in a traditional coming-of-age ceremony.


Eyewitness News
5 days ago
- Eyewitness News
Katlehong family still reeling from teen who died after 68-year-old woman rammed into crowd
JOHANNESBURG - A Katlehong family in Ekurhuleni is still reeling from the death of their 13-year-old child, who died at a traditional sweet 16 ceremony in Germiston after a local rammed into a crowd on the street. According to witnesses, a woman drove her car into a crowd of young girls, killing Pretty Mahlangu and injuring others. The teen was laid to rest on Sunday in Katlehong, but her family and community said they are still looking for answers. What was meant to be a day of celebrations turned tragic when the 13-year-old was run over by a car. The teen was part of a group of young maidens who were part of the traditional Sweet 16 ceremony known as Umhlonyane in the Zulu culture that was held in Germiston. It's alleged that a disgruntled neighbour of the hosting family took issue with what she allegedly labelled as revealing traditional Zulu attire. [WATCH] 'This seems like racism' - Katlehong residents still reeling after incident Simphiwe Khumalo, whose family was hosting the gathering, explained what happened next: 'So, three cars approached. We managed to turn back two of the cars, but then one of the cars went through the barricade and when she was approaching the kids, I jumped in front of the car trying to stop her.' She said that the woman proceeded to bump her and speed through the group of girls. 'She just drove straight into the crowd of children and ran over a child twice because when they were busy pushing each other in that stampede the kid lost balance when she fell. She drove over.' The family said they have not received confirmation on the suspect's arrest but were informed by police that a case of culpable homicide has been opened.