Update
GEORGE NEWS - She will be remembered as a loving and affectionate child who greeted her friends and teacher with a warm smile every morning.
And that is all that six-year-old Faithlin Kleinhans's family has to hold on to now - her memory.
Faithlin, who grew up in her great-grandmother's house in Borcherds, unexpectedly lost her life in a car accident on Saturday 8 March.
"She was a little angel to everyone who knew her, bringing joy and kindness wherever she went," says her mother, Avachine Kleinhans.
"We are still coming to terms with what happened, and the support we are receiving from our friends, family and neighbours is overwhelming. We don't know why she was taken so early, but we believe in God's plan."
Faithlin loved her school, her friends and her teachers, and her family can't help but wonder what this bright little ray of sunlight would have achieved one day. Lost in thought, her great-grandmother, Audrey Olieslaager, stares out the window.
"She wanted to be a teacher."
Faithlin and her mother lived with Audrey in Bellairs Street and Faithlin attended Heidedal Primary School as a Grade 1 learner.
At approximately 12:30 on Saturday, afternoon, Faithlin, her nearly two-year-old cousin, her aunt and her grandfather were travelling down Knysna Road on their way to Gateway Lodge for a memorial meal after a family member's funeral at the George cemetery.
Faithlin and her cousin sat in the back of her grandfather's canopied Ford Bantam bakkie while he drove, with her aunt in the passenger seat.
At the traffic lights near the Garden Route Mall, their vehicle collided with a Ford Ecosport allegedly coming from the direction of Wilderness.
Faithlin's grandfather lost control of the vehicle on impact.
It veered over the lawn between Tavcor and the Shell filling station on Providence Drive, crossed the island in the middle of the road and came to a stop in the garden near the back of the filling station. The exact details and cause of the accident have not yet been confirmed.
Avachine, along with other family members attending the memorial, had already arrived at Gateway Lodge when they received the devastating news of the accident.
They rushed to the hospital, where they were met with the heartbreaking confirmation that Faithlin had succumbed to her injuries.
Her grandfather sustained serious fractures to his upper leg and still has to undergo surgery, while her aunt and young cousin miraculously escaped with only minor injuries.
Southern Cape police spokesperson Sergeant Chris Spies confirmed the accident and said police were dispatched to the scene where the two vehicles collided.
"On arrival, the members found a Ford Bantam bakkie and a Ford Ecosport. The girl [Faithlin] sustained multiple injuries and was declared deceased by paramedics on the scene.
"Two adults and another child, occupants of the bakkie, were taken to the hospital for further medical care. Circumstances surrounding this accident are being investigated. A culpable homicide docket has been opened," says Spies.
Faithlin's funeral will be held at Gateway Lodge on Sunday 16 March. Details will be confirmed.
Read a previous article: Life claimed in vehicle accident at mall intersection
Avachine Kleinhans with a photo of her daughter Faithlin at their home in Borcherds. Photo: Kristy Kolberg
Class friends with Faithlin's Grade1 teacher, Erica de Bruin, and Heidedal principal Dudley Schoeman during the wreath-laying ceremony at Faithlin's home on Tuesday 11 March. Photo: Kristy Kolberg 
The bakkie and the Ecosport collided, after which the driver of the bakkie lost control, drove over the lawn between Tavcor and the Shell garage in Providence Drive and came to a halt in the garden near the back of the garage. Photo: Kristy Kolberg‘We bring you the latest Garden Route, Hessequa, Karoo news’
