A cyclist who was killed in St James has been identified, and his family is battling to take his body back to the Eastern Cape.
|||Cape Town - A cyclist who was knocked down and killed in St James a week ago has finally been identified - he was Sivuyile Same and his grieving family is battling to take his body back to the Eastern Cape.
On Wednesday morning, Pedal Power Association staged a silent protest on Main Road in St James at the spot where Same was knocked down.
Same is the fourth cyclist to be killed in the province this year. He was knocked down by a Golden Arrow bus last Wednesday. He had been cycling from his home in Masiphumelele to work in Wynberg.
Police have opened a culpable homicide case. No arrests have been made. His younger brother Sonwabile Same said the family could barely afford morgue payments.
They wanted to bury him in his home town of Tsolo but they could not afford the costs.
“We are in a really bad situation. We looked to him to provide for the family, but now lots of things have stopped now because of his death. I also work but that is not enough to help arrange the funeral,” Sonwabile said.
Sonwabile said he had been in contact with the bus company, who were conducting an investigation into the incident.
He was told they could contribute to the funeral arrangements if the bus driver was found to have been liable for the accident, he said.
At Wednesday’s protest a “ghost bike”, in memory of Same was erected by the group at the scene of the accident. The protest was held to highlight the importance of cycling and road safety, chairman Steve Hayward said. He said about 50 people with boards that read “Cyclists stay alive at 1.5” attended the protest.
“This man would not have died had the bus given him a 1.5-metre berth. We want to get the message to motorists that cyclists have a right to a wide berth,” Hayward said.
However, Hayward said there were cyclists who “misbehaved” on the roads and the association would welcome punitive action taken against them.
The cycling community was joined by Cultural Affairs and Sport MEC Ivan Meyer and Same’s brother Sonwabile who were “grateful for the support”.
xolani.koyana@inl.co.za
Cape Times