Mzwanele Wellem, who nearly lost his life in April after being driven over at a local shopping centre in Stellenbosch, is in urgent need of help. Wellem told MatieMedia that he lost everything due to the incident. PHOTO: Dennis Delport
The 38-year-old Stellenbosch security guard who miraculously survived after being driven over by a bakkie is still in shock by the traumatic events which almost cost him his life.
Mzwanele Wellem, security guard at Phangela Group, had made it through his first month in his new job when trauma struck.
“On the 30th of April my life changed,” Wellem told MatieMedia. According to CCTV footage, on this day a white Opel Corsa bakkie reversed out of his parking spot and drove in the wrong direction. Wellem, who was on duty at the time, made his way to the vehicle to tell him to turn around and follow the rules of the parking lot. The vehicle continued to edge forward. The driver then drove over Wellem and sped away despite the public’s efforts to stop him.
“My life will never be the same again and that will never change,” Wellem says, who still attends sessions with a psychologist and physiotherapist. This is because he is scared of the future. “The scar on my head will never disappear. I am very scared to show my daughter, who is eight years old, the scar. She will ask what happened and then I will have to explain to her what happened. Those things will bring up bad memories for me and my family.”
Despite being back at work, Wellem says that he still bears the consequences of the event. “I have been back at work since the 2nd of May. However, there are still days that I can’t come to work as I fall sick,” he says. This, together with the fact that he missed more than a month’s work, has a major impact financially on Wellem. “When I don’t work, I don’t make enough money to send back to the Eastern Cape to my family,” he says. Wellem visited his family recently in the Eastern Cape for prayer during this difficult period of time.
When asked about his feelings towards the accused, Wellem was tight-lipped and said that the law will deal with those matters.
He also admitted that he is in need of help. “I need support. I lost a lot because of that man,” he said. “I would like to thank the community for their continued support. People who want to make donations can deliver them directly here at the health shop at Die Boord shopping centre,” he said.
A member of the public said that the time is now to help him in any way possible. “I would love to see people taking Wellem under their wing, and caring for him, with support to him in any way. Food hampers, stationery (for Wellem’s daughter) or even a little envelope with cash will help a lot. If you are unable to donate a simple ‘hi, how are you?’ will also do,” the person said. “Wellem is a really sweet person that will benefit greatly from any contribution from anyone, and also for many years going forward, because indeed, his life has been changed forever, while we all carry on as is if nothing big happened here.”
The accused, Johan Steyn, recently appeared in the Regional Court of Stellenbosch on charges of attempted murder. According to reports, Steyn suggested that he would plead not guilty in an affidavit. “It is and has always been my contention that I have not committed any offence as alleged in this matter,” the reported affidavit reads. Steyn’s lawyer, Bruce Hendrics, told MatieMedia that currently there are no new developments. “We will see what happens once the court case resumes,” he said. Steyn will appear in the Regional court in Stellenbosch on 13 September again.