In Pictures: Mzansi celebrities who killed people accidentally
We all love celebrities, and sometimes we expect perfect behavior, forgetting that they are also human and make mistakes. In this article, we look at Mzansi celebrities who killed people accidentally.
Oscar Pistorius
The Paralympic athlete shot and killed his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in the early hours of 14 February 2013.
Oscar did not deny the charges, but he told the court that he mistook her for an intruder. He was charged with murder, but the verdict came, and he was found not guilty of murder but of culpable homicide and reckless endangerment. He was released on parole six months later, only to have the State appeal with the Supreme court, and they sentenced him to 6years for murder, which they appealed again and had it increased to 15 years.
Manaka Ranaka
In December 2015, the actress hit an 18-year-old with her car on her way to Durban. The teen was crossing the N3 way on foot. Manaka went to the deceased’s family and apologized for her mistake, and they understood it was an accident and forgave her.
Jub Jub
On 8 March 2010, Jub Jub and Themba Tshabalala crashed into a group of students in Soweto. They were under the influence of drugs when their mini cooper crashed into those kids. Four of the children died, and two were seriously injured. They were first sentenced to 20years for murder and four years for attempted homicide. The State appealed the verdict with an argument that they were not in their right frame of mind at the time. They were both released on parole after serving only 4years of their time.
Tokollo Tshabalala
The Kwaito band member of TKZee joins the list of Mzansi celebrities who killed people accidentally. Tokollo was speeding in Botswana, and he ran over a stop sign. When the police tried to stop him, he overtook a car in front of him and collided with oncoming traffic. The woman driving the vehicle he collided with, Maria Monyatsi, did not survive the crash. He was charged with culpable homicide. When the authorities in South Africa got assurances that he would not be executed, he returned. He was later on acquitted of all charges.
Judith Sephuma
On 29 January 2013, the choirmaster hit a 79-year-old pensioner with her car in Soweto. She took the woman to a hospital, but unfortunately, she died after arriving at the hospital. Sephuma met with the older woman’s family and asked for forgiveness, and the family forgave her, and she even stayed in touch with the late woman’s children.