Eleven-year-old Namhla Nondala was killed on Saturday when a police van ploughed into a shack in Delft.
An 11-year-old child was killed and two others injured when a police van crashed into a shack on Saturday, 4 October in Delft, Cape Town.
According to residents, the police van was driving at a high speed with sirens wailing when it ploughed into a shack next to the road and hit the three children who were standing on the pavement.
Thantaswa Ndalasi said she had left her granddaughter Namhla Nondala bathing and gone to her cousin’s house who lives a few streets away. While she was there her other grandchildren came running in crying and she rushed home.
“I couldn’t find Namhla in the house, I went outside, and I saw a lot of people standing down the road and I quickly rushed there,” said Ndalasi.
She found the police van next to a smashed shack, with the three children lying on the ground, covered by corrugated iron sheeting. Her granddaughter was dead. The children had apparently gone to the shop and had been on the pavement waiting to cross the road.
Community leader Tyelovuyo Mjayezi said it took police hours to close off the scene. “When I arrived at the scene I asked the police why they hadn’t put out tape and covered the body and they told me that they were waiting for the ambulance and forensic services,” said Mjayezi.
GroundUp has seen a video taken by a bystander showing how the three children, two of them still alive, lay under the corrugated iron sheeting while residents shouted at the police.
Neighbour Nosihle Nkamisa said residents started throwing stones and set the police van alight. Escorted by a police officer, she moved Namhla’s body away from the fire.
Speaking for the family, Zola Ndalasi said they went to Delft police station on the day but the station commander told them a case had already been opened.
Thantaswa Ndalasi found her granddaughter Namhla’s lifeless body on the scene.
The Western Cape SAPS redirected GroundUp to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) for comment. IPID spokesperson Phaladi Shuping said a case of culpable homicide and reckless and negligent driving would be investigated.
“According to reports, on 4 October 2025 at about 18:30, three Delft police officers were driving to a murder complaint in progress when their marked vehicle allegedly swerved to avoid an oncoming taxi on Sandlehout Street. The van then crashed into a wendy house, hitting three children who were playing nearby,” said Shuping.
The other two children, both aged 10, are still in hospital.
Last month a police van crashed into a shack in Gushindoda informal settlement, also in Delft, injuring two people.
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A baby was born in South Africa. The village was very poor, and the makeshift hospital didn\’t have some necessary equipment.. such as scales.
The father however, was desperate to know the newborn baby\’s weight. After quite a bit of asking around, the hospital\’s chairman came up with an idea.
\”Five miles west, there\’s a butcher shop. The owner deals with meat, he should have a rather precise scale. You could just put your baby on the meat scale, and the weight reading you\’ll get should be pretty accurate.\”
And so the father departed westward. After much walking, with his newborn child cardled safely in his arms, he finally arrived at the butcher shop. He explained his dilemma to the shop owner, to witch the latter replied:
\”Don\’t worry, friend. It\’s not even a problem, I\’ll check it for you, free of charge.\” And so he took the child to the back, where the scale was located.
The father heard rumbling noises, and some scraping.. About a minute later the butcher came back.
\”About three pounds boneless\” He said.
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