A woman says her car was involved in a hit-and-run accident with a van driven by a municipal employee.
|||A woman is urging the City of Cape Town to review footage of an intersection in Athlone where she says her car was involved in a hit-and-run accident with a van driven by a municipal employee.
But after investigating the accident, the city said it would not compensate her for damage to her car.
The accident occurred in December.
However, Shahida Rahman, 53, from Heideveld, said she was not aware until she read an article in the Cape Argus last week that there were CCTV cameras in the area where the accident took place.
She would like the city to review the tapes or at least let her see the footage.
The city has refused to show her the footage.
Rahman said she was driving down Klipfontein Road in Athlone when the city van drove into her at the intersection with Blossom road.
“I had four kids in the car with me, the oldest being 17 and the youngest my twin nephews, aged five.
“I slowed down when the robot went red and a van swerved towards me from the left and bumped into the passenger side and drove off.”
Rahman gave chase through Bridgetown before managing to overtake the van in Dr Abduraman Avenue.
“I confronted the driver and asked him to come to see the damage to my car. Then the man, who was slurring his words, said he wanted to park properly, but then he reversed and drove off.”
Rahman said she could smell alcohol on the man’s breath and he had one passenger in the vehicle with him.
With the van’s registration number in hand, she went to file a complaint at the Athlone police station. Four days later, she reported the incident to the City of Cape Town.
“The city wanted witnesses and I was asked to send two quotes. But nothing happened,” she said.
She sent the two quotes and she asked her 17-year-old nephew who was in the car with her at the time also to write a letter, “but nothing happened”.
The Cape Argus is in possession of e-mail correspondence between Rahman and the city’s insurance branch.
She was asked to forward two quotes for damages to her car on January 3.
Rahman said she did not want the driver to lose his job.
“I just want them to fix my car.”
Her insurer was now investigating the incident. It would cost about R7 000 to repair her car, “but I have to pay excess of about R3 000, which I do not have”.
The city had concluded its investigation and would not be compensating her, Rahman said. She wanted the footage to be part of the investigation.
The City of Cape Town’s legal department said it would not pay Rahman’s claim.
In a letter dated January 25 and addressed to Rahman, it said she would not be compensated because “the driver and passengers deny ever being involved in a collision with your vehicle. No damage is visible on the council’s vehicle.”
neo.maditla@inl.co.za - Cape Argus