In an ironic, yet tragic turn of events, a police constable was run over by a taxi on Saturday morning, two days after she had stated in a social media questionnaire that she had “never been involved in an accident”.
Const Andiswa Cekiso Yabo (38), known to her friends as “Ma-Aido” or “Andy”, lived in Vredenburg and worked at the Langebaan police station.
She succumbed to her injuries on Saturday afternoon in the Vredenburg Provincial Hospital.
How exactly Yabo ended up in front of the taxi in Tourmalyn Street, Ongegund, on Saturday morning is part of the judicial post-mortem investigation with which her colleagues are still busy.
According to Capt Tania Helfrich, a spokesperson for the West Coast Police District, the 18-year-old taxi driver called the ambulance services himself, and when they did not respond quickly enough, he took the injured Yabo to the hospital.
“When she died, the taxi driver was still waiting at the hospital,” said Helfrich.
Yabo started her police career in 2013 at Redelinghuys, and in 2017 she was transferred to the Langebaan Police Station.
According to Capt Kim Whitton, the Langebaan station commander since 1 March this year, Yabo worked shifts and performed services in the charge office.
“All the members agree that she had this big smile all the time and was always friendly and welcoming. Just happy to help.”
Whitton also said that Yabo left a void at the station.
Her friend, Nella Siepker Zeman, writes on Facebook that her heart is sore and they will miss Yabo dearly. “She always had such a lovely friendly personality and was always willing to help; no job too big for her.”
Yabo leaves behind three daughters aged 3, 7 and 15. At the time of going to print, funeral arrangements had not yet been made.
