The man killed in crash on Helshoogte Road outside Ida’s Valley in Stellenbosch on Thursday 27 November has been identified as Jaco Meintjies.
The 49-year-old was allegedly involved in a hijacking in Porterville and was on the run from police when the accident occurred.
A part of the busy road was closed for hours after the driver of a blue Volkswagen T-Roc crashed into a tree at high speed near Simonsrust Centre. Debris littered the road with some fragments of the vehicle strewn on the open field adjacent to the road in Ida’s Valley.
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‘Pretended to be a hitchhiker’
Meintjies was flung from the vehicle and declared dead on the scene by medical personnel. Traffic officials were on the scene to divert traffic to alternative routes.
Cloetesville police spokesperson Warrant Officer Zenobia Sedeman confirmed Meintjies had been a suspect in an alleged hijacking in Porterville.
“The hijacking took place in the Porterville area when the woman victim was on her way to work,” Sedeman said.
“She stopped for a person known to her, who was looking for a lift. During the drive, the suspect pulled out a screwdriver and held it to her neck.”
According to the police report the victim was taken to Gouda, where they stopped at an ATM and the victim was instructed to withdraw money.
Police pursuit
She apparently called out for help from passersby, “but the suspect started the car and fled”.
Making his way to the Cape Winelands, Meintjies picked up two hitchhikers, which caught the attention of patrolling Paarl police, after which a high-speed chase ensued.
The hitchhikers were panicked by the chase and Meintjies slowed down so the two could jump out. The chase continued on the “Agter Paarl” road in the direction of Klapmuts.
The SUV sped through Pniël on the Helshoogte Road and crashed into two vehicles before rolling and crashed into the tree.
The incident is being investigated by Porterville police.
