Trevor Philander, a truck driver and well-known preacher at the New Apostolic Church in Scottsville, burnt to death in the late afternoon of Friday February 10, after he lost control of the truck he was driving.
The cab hit the side of a bridge near Kraaifontein and caught alight, trapping Mr Philander inside.
Mr Philander had been travelling from Cape Town to Paarl when the truck veered off the road and hit the Exit 34 bridge in Joostenbergvlakte, said provincial traffic chief Kenny Africa.
According to the Daily Voice, Mr Philander’s grieving family declined to speak to the media.
Kenny Kotze, spokesman for the New Apostolic Church in Cape Town, described Mr Philander’s death as very tragic.
He said Mr Philander was a “faithful minister and evangelist”.
“We are giving the family all the support that we can,” Mr Kotze said.
The Traffic Fines, Cameras and Updates in Western Cape Facebook page posted a video of the burning cab with a caption, reportedly written by Mr Philander’s son, which said: “That was my father. He had a tyre burst on the left side and it is a left-hand drive truck. The truck burst into flames as it hit the pillar of the bridge and he died. In case all of you were wondering and assuming what happened.”
The Northern News could not find the original post nor confirm whether it was indeed posted by Mr Philander’s son.
On Friday the accident caused the N1 in Kraaifontein to be closed until 9pm, with traffic being directed through an off-ramp to Lucullus Road.
Chris Botha, Netcare 911 spokesman, said paramedics had responded to the crash shortly after 3pm.
Firemen were on the scene to douse the flames.