Eleven-year-old Namhla Nondala was killed on Saturday when a police van ploughed into a shack in Delft. Photo supplied
(The Post News) – A South African Police Service (SAPS) van slammed into a Wendy house in Delft on Saturday evening, October 4, 2025, resulting in the tragic death of an 11-year-old girl named Namhla Nondala and the injuries of two other children. Residents have been so incensed by the terrible event that occurred in the Wingnut Street neighbourhood that they have attacked the policemen and set the police car on fire.
Three Delft police officers were allegedly hurrying to a murder report when the horrific crash happened at 6:30 PM.
Phaladi Shuping, a spokesman for the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID), reported that the driver of the marked police car allegedly swerved to avoid an approaching cab while the vehicle was moving down Sandlehout Street. Three kids were playing or standing on the pavement when the van lost control and crashed into a Wendy house nearby.
A fourth-grader named Namhla passed away on the spot. After her other grandkids raced in crying, her distraught grandmother, Thantaswa Ndalasi, hurried to the scene. Near the destroyed shack, she discovered Namhla’s lifeless body behind the steel sheeting.
Community Outrage and Allegations of Negligence
Furious locals blamed the police for the accident, which swiftly turned into a violent altercation. There was “no reason for SAPS to drive that fast” on a non-main route, according to witnesses and community members, who further allege the police van was travelling at a high speed while sirens were blaring.
The officers were forced to escape for their lives as angry residents started throwing stones and eventually set fire to the police van. To move Namhla’s body away from the burning car, neighbour Nosihle Nkamisa needed to be escorted by a policeman.
Residents who claimed to have seen bottles inside the van also made grave accusations that the officers involved might have been intoxicated. They further claim that policemen were not given a breathalyser test by the police.
Tyelovuyo Mjayezi, a community leader, criticised the police for their treatment of the immediate aftermath, saying it took them “hours” to secure the area, and that Namhla’s body was left exposed in the street for more than an hour.
IPID Launches Investigation as Family Demands Justice
IPID acknowledged that it has taken over the crime scene and is looking into a case involving reckless and negligent driving as well as culpable killing. Phaladi Shuping, the directorate’s spokesperson, said the location was only roped off and the situation normalised once the community had calmed down.
The other two injured children, both of whom were ten years old, were taken to a hospital to receive medical attention. Masizole Mnqasela, head of the Alliance of Citizens for Change, visited the distressed family and reported that one girl was released with a fractured limb and the other is still on life support.
The family of Namhla is requesting that the accountable police officers accept responsibility for the young girl’s passing. Thantaswa Ndalasi, her grandmother, who makes a living by selling sweets and vetkoek, demands that the police pay for the funeral. According to the family, officers informed them that the station would not help with burial expenses or home reconstruction.
Mnqasela said that his party intends to sue the State on behalf of the families of the three children, but he also condemned the community’s retaliation. While offering her sympathies, MEC for Police Oversight and Community Safety Anroux Marais cautioned people from “destroying vital state resources” in times of annoyance.
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