GEORGE NEWS - Limise Make, the grieving mother of Azoma (4) who was killed in a hit-and-run on 29 July, says her last happy memory with her youngest child and only son was the night before his untimely death.
He was brimming with excitement, eagerly anticipating his birthday party that coming Saturday, and wanted to know when his Spiderman birthday cake would arrive.
When she came home from work, he and his middle sister watched television on the couch. Both jumped up to hug her and he fired away excitedly with questions about his party.
"He was so excited. I sat down with him and counted the days to his party and he jumped off the couch to show me his Spiderman moves," she says.
The two of them went to bed first and he was still fast asleep the next morning when she left. The next time she saw him was in hospital, where he died in her arms. "I can't describe the pain as I watched him taking his last breath and I couldn't do anything to help him. And then he was gone."
Azoma and his little friend, Aziaha Oosthuizen (3), were on their way home after they were fetched from their crèche by a family friend when the accident happened. They were crossing Nelson Mandela Boulevard when they were struck by a white Nissan Hardbody of the Thembalethu detective branch that was driven by a Warrant Officer stationed there.
Azoma suffered severe head injuries. Aziaha sustained a foot injury and was released from hospital after a few days. (Read more about the accident elsewhere on this page.)
Mother's pain
There is deep-rooted disappointment and anger in her voice when she talks about the accident and the fact that her child was left in the road, injured, while the person responsible for the injuries drove off.
"Accidents happen, we are all human and we make mistakes, but I struggle to understand what the person was thinking; his behaviour in just leaving my child there to die. It is so cruel. Azoma was an innocent child."
Although the family was initially frustrated with the slow pace of the investigation, they expressed relief that progress is now being made. "They were aware of the suspect's identity soon after the accident, yet the arrest took time. We were also not kept updated on the progress being made in the case."
However, last Friday, members of the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid), who took over the case days after the incident, personally informed the family of the arrest.
Limise describes her son as a special child, always full of energy, and smart beyond his years. He was loving, deeply connected to all his family members, and loved going to church and singing.
Missed by his best friend
Azoma's death has left a void not only in the family, but particularly for his young friend and neighbour, Aziaha, who struggles to grasp the loss at her tender age.
Aziaha Oosthuizen (3)
Her grandmother, Lindy Gumede, says not a single day goes by without Aziaha asking about Azoma.
"They were inseparable. Even now when she plays, she shares her toys with her absent friend. Sometimes she gets frustrated when she cannot go next door to see or play with him," says Gumede.
Azoma was laid to rest on 7 August. He leaves behind his mother, father Monwabisi Make, and older sisters aged 8 and 14.
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