Gone too soon
“Knowing her, she was only thinking about the puppy – that she should get it back into the property before it gets run over."
“Her death was so unnecessary, and although we are not blaming anyone – accidents happen – we are left with many unanswered questions,” said Bruce McIntyre, Shi-Anne Klue’s father.
Shi-Anne (13) passed away on 3 October after she was hit by a vehicle at the intersection of Long and 14th Road, Newlands.
Her parents are still in a state of shock and disbelief after the horror incident. “We were both at work at the time of the accident and we do not know exactly what happened. There are lots of rumours going round. According to our neighbour and other eyewitnesses, it appears that the driver was coming down the road at a very high speed when he hit Shi-Anne,” said Lu-Anne Klue.
On the fateful day, Shi-Anne, together with her siblings, went to play in the open veld across from their home. It is said that one of their puppies came out of their property and was about to run into the street and Shi-Anne was crossing the road to get him. “Knowing her, she was only thinking about the puppy – that she should get it back into the property before it gets run over. But, she was a very responsible girl, and wouldn’t have just crossed the road without making sure it is safe. She must have misjudged the speed at which the car was travelling,” Lu-Anne said.
Bruce was on his way to Middelburg – he would have been there for two weeks – when the neighbour phoned him and said one of his kids had been knocked down. “I had this sinking feeling and got the impression my neighbour was not telling me everything – I was also not sure which one of my kids she was talking about. I phoned my wife and told her about the call. She went home from work, and phoned me about half an hour later to tell me what happened,” Bruce said.
When Lu-Anne arrived at home, Shi-Anne’s body was still lying next to the road and the emergency services were still on scene. “Our neighbour came out immediately and took me to her house. She just told me not to go to the scene,” Lu-Anne said emotionally.
Everyone who knew Shi-Anne loved her – she was always friendly and did not get angry. She was a very helpful child and diligent student. When she made up her mind to do something, she worked hard to achieve it. She was never scared to try new things and always finished what she started. She attended Esperanza Primary School and played hockey, netball, participated in athletics and even cheerleading. She was also a prefect. “She wanted to become a veterinarian, a dog trainer and a South African long-distance runner and drive a yellow sports car. But she always said she would have another car for family outings,” Lu-Anne said emotionally.
“She was getting good at speaking Afrikaans, and when she was busy and I called her, she would say, ‘Ag tog, Pa!’,” Bruce remembered with a smile. Lu-Anne said she will always remember the day Shi-Anne became a prefect – the look of joy on her face at achieving one of her goals is something that will always stand out in her mind. For Bruce it will always be her “spaghetti legs” and knobby knees, and he said, “I will always remember calling her my Heinz chicken.”
Shi-Anne’s funeral will take place on Monday, 10 October at 2pm at Die Oord, 13th Avenue, Newlands. The school will close at 1pm to allow the pupils to attend the service and be able to say their goodbyes.
“People always say you must just remember the good memories, but we only have good memories of her. The only bad memory we will ever have is what happened,” Bruce said, his voice breaking slightly.
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