An 11-year-old Ruben de Ridder was being consoled under a tree next to the highway, his mother, Marguerite Perks (31), slumped in the driver seat of the Toyota Corolla they had been traveling in to visit friends in Fisantkraal, after attending church service.
A stunned couple, believed to be German citizens travelling from Gauteng, sat on the side of the road about 25m from where Perks' car is believed to have been in a head-on collision with theirs.
Traffic soon piled up and emergency personnel were racing against the clock to release the young woman from the wreck using the 'jaws of life'.
News swiftly spread that the attractive young woman who lost her life in the accident was a popular manager and cashier at Wimpy in Knysna. As soon as her tragic and sudden death was confirmed, social media became inundated with messages of condolences to her family, recalling her sunny disposition and warm-hearted personality.
The young mum was well- known for her beaming smile and beautiful blue eyes.
Wayne van Heerden, pastor at the Knysna Prebyterian Church was first on the scene. "I'm guessing I missed the collision by 30 seconds or so and for a few moments there were no cars behind me. My immediate impressions were of a car in the right hand lane [Toyota Corolla], still on the road, pointing towards the trees and a second car on the left hand in a ditch, facing oncoming traffic."
Debris from the impact covered the road and Van Heerden pulled over. "I think all locals slow down when coming into that bend because it is potentially really dangerous. I noticed that in the car on the right was a lady who appeared to be unconscious in the driver's seat. There was a young boy next to her with what looked like an injury to his eye."
He also noticed a young couple sitting on the side of the road, presumably the occupants of the other vehicle with GP registration. According to police reports the foreigners, who sustained only light injuries, were travelling in a white BMW. Soon other cars began to stop and the young boy was escorted out of the wreckage.
"I saw people consoling him and asking him whether a phone they found was his mother's," recalled Van Heerden who only later realised that he in fact knew the deceased and her family. "It was all very surreal. I think a lady with a Scottish accent helped the boy out of the car. She was a real angel."
The deceased's distraught parents, Howard and Helen Perks, as well as her brother, Richard, are battling to come to terms with the shock. At the time of the accident Marguerite's father was recuperating in hospital in Mossel Bay following extensive heart surgery a few days earlier. His wife waited for an appropriate time, when her husband's doctors could be with them, before she broke the heart-wrenching news to him.
"This is incredibly painful," sobbed Helen. "She is my only daughter. We just celebrated her birthday on October 10, but can you believe it, my battery was flat so we didn't take any photographs! It had been such a lovely evening!" Helen said that her daughter had been on leave and had spent all her time going on fun outings with her son. She mentioned that the safety belt had caused some swelling on Ruben's leg due to the impact.
Ronelle Pretorius of Wimpy said Perks was like their own child. "We are heartbroken. She will be sorely missed and she leaves a painful vacuum behind. She was just the most lovely person imaginable. Rest in peace, Marguerite. We love you." It was Ronelle's son, André Pretorius who got the call from Perks' phone that Marguerite and her son had been involved in a horrific accident, as his number was listed first on her dialling screen.
Julian de Ridder of Karatara, Perks' ex-husband (they were married for ten years), said that everyone who knew and loved Marguerite was still in shock. "She was part of my life for a long time. I'm stunned." He took his son, who will now be living with him, for trauma therapy on Tuesday, October 21, the day after he was discharged from Knysna Provincial Hospital. "I don't think the reality has quite hit him yet, but he is doing okay. He hurt his feet, but he can walk on them already."
De Ridder said his son could only remember that they were driving and then there was a great big bang.
Knysna municipal manager Lauren Waring said she was deeply saddened about the death of the well-known Knysna Wimpy manager. "Knysna Municipality sends our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased. We hope that they find strength in this difficult time. We also wish the other occupants a speedy recovery."
Still processing the fact that he narrowly escaped being part of the tragedy, Van Heerden urged authorities to either widen the road or drastically reduce the speed limit on that section.
The funeral will be held on Tuesday, October 28 at the Knysna NG Church at 10:00.
Captain Malcolm Pojie, provincial police nedia liaison, said that a case of culpable homicide had been opened. Any eyewitnesses are requested to contact the investigating officer, WO Mark Rein on 044 302 66552 or Crime Stop on 08600 10111.
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Happy together! Marguerite Perks with her friend Bennie Roberts of Fisantkraal and her son Ruben de Ridder. Roberts is shattered by the loss of his "best friend". "She was the kindest person, always smiling and never in a bad mood."
ARTICLE: ANOESCHKA VON MECK, KNYSNA-PLETT HERALD JOURNALIST
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