A mother and little brother face further emotional turmoil following the death of Imitha Swartz (13) on 18 December.
Imitha was hospitalised with severe head injuries after he and his brother Isimemen (9) were mowed down by a car in Main Road, Southern Paarl, on 7 August 2021, as previously reported by Paarl Post.
Paarl police spokesperson Capt Louise du Plessis at the time said a case of reckless and negligent driving was opened against the driver of the vehicle. The charge has now changed to culpable homicide. “According to law, the prosecutor will issue a summons for the alleged suspect to appear in court once the investigation is court ready,” she said.
Although Isimemen suffered only minimal injuries in the accident, his heartbreak, trauma and mourning for his brother now far outweighs all.
“Isimemen is rattled every time we need to cross the street, he shrinks into a tiny ball too scared to move. It has come to a point where I am considering to get a safety-lead for him to walk with… he’s still in mourning and deeply traumatised,” explained his mother, Divine.
While reflecting about the months since the accident, Divine is dazed and sedated with prescribed medicine due to the ongoing trauma. She quit her job as an executive accountant manager last year to be with Imitha every waking moment hoping that he would survive.
“Despite the spectrum of emotions surging through my mind daily, I’m proud of myself for staying by his side ‘till the very end. Imitha was clinically brain-dead and could hardly move his body. He would just stare blankly with his eyes open and was unable to speak.”
His recovery was also hampered by a string of complications, including infection of Covid-19, seizures and a heart attack. This resulted in at least three serious operations, including a craniotomy (the partial surgical removal of the skull’s bone to expose the brain), a tracheostomy to improve his breathing and the implantation of a feeding pipe in his stomach.
A fundraiser was launched to assist the Swartz-family in dire straights, which raised approximately R7 000. “Thanks to others’ generosity I was able to pay the last month’s rent before having to move out of our home.
“I’ve racked up nearly R700 000 in debt due to hospital bills and have since moved in with a friend as I am no longer working. All the while the suspect in the case has not even once appeared in court for my sons’ ruined lives. How is any of that justice?”
Imitha was laid to rest on 28 December and his memorial service was attended by nearly 150 children from school and his community. “He was very much involved with the Church at the Rock and was very loved among his friends. During the entire hospital stay he received hundreds of letters to ‘get well soon’. I would take a batch each time on the way to him to read it to him. In ICU and St Joseph’s, I put it on up for him to see – his wall of fame.”
