A Chatsworth mother’s quest for justice in ‘drunk-driving’ case

TEN weeks have passed since my only daughter, Khitana, was killed by a drunk driver; her life taken in an act of reckless disregard.

- DR SHARONA DEONARAIN

DR SHARONA Deonarain with her daughter, Khitana.

(Supplied)

I write this out of duty, as a mother to expose the obstruction of justice that followed her death.

The people of Chatsworth deserve transparency, and my daughter deserves justice untainted by negligence or cor-Tuption.

When my husband and I arrived at the scene, my 21-year-old daughter lay lifeless on the roadway curb, unattended.

Despite their presence, SAPS officers ignored her entirely.

Their focus was fixed instead on a visibly intoxicated driver who had just caused her death. My instinct told me something was not right that night. The officers’ behaviour was not what one would ordinarily expect; it left me uneasy and questioning. Their conduct compelled me to find out more and to understand what had really happened at the crime scene. Little did I realise how much would unfold from that decision.

The National Road Traffic Act mandates that blood alcohol testing be conducted within two hours of an incident. In a fatal collision, this requirement is not optional. It is the foundation of evidence. No breathalyser was administered, no immediate blood collection, and no collision unit was summoned.

Critical evidence was simply disregarded. Subsequently I learnt via official correspondence that blood samples were collected only after the crime scene was fully cleared. Having been on site for four hours while the wreckage remained, it is evident that the collection occurred at least seven to eight hours after the collision.

Professional paramedics confirmed via report that he was severely intoxicated, stating he was “visibly under mind-altering substances”.

He requested an intravenous dextrose drip, a substance known to interfere with blood alcohol testing. The paramedic refused, recognising that such treatment would compromise forensic evidence.