When Fhulufhelo Makhado was driving his sick wife to Tambo Memorial Hospital on Monday, he was stuck in a traffic jam caused by a wreck on the N21. Unbeknownst to him, his nephew was involved in the accident until a life-changing call at the hospital.

Makhado said he left home at Geleba, at about 7.40am, rushing his sick wife to the hospital.

He encountered heavy traffic congestion, which he estimated delayed him by seven minutes.

“There was a lot of traffic on the road, we had to slow down,” he recalled, as he told IOL News.

“I was driving on the left lane, and as we approached the accident scene, we were diverted to the fast lane to pass through.”

As Makhado drove past the wreckage, he noticed a vehicle at the scene, but was focused on navigating the fast lane.

He continued to the hospital without giving it much thought.

Upon arrival at the hospital, he asked the security guard for entry. His phone rang several times, but he said didn’t answer because he was busy talking with the security guard.

Once inside the hospital parking lot, Makhado checked his phone and saw that the calls were from an unknown number.

“When I checked the phone, I found that it was an unknown number. I told myself that I would return the call after my wife was admitted.”

Soon after, his wife’s phone rang, and the caller asked to speak with Makhado.

The caller was Nomsa Nhlapo, who informed him that his nephew, Lubanzi Nhlapo, aged seven, had been involved in the accident on the N21 westbound just before Putfontein Road off-ramp - the same accident scene Makhado had passed earlier.

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