Popular Port Elizabeth motorbike racer and Springbok shottist Jason Joshua was killed in a collision on the N2 near Deal Party on Saturday – one of 14 deaths in a black weekend on Eastern Cape roads.
An Algoa Motorsport Club member, Joshua, 41 – who was riding a motorcycle – died late on Saturday when he was involved in a collision with a Toyota bakkie.
And in another deadly accident, five people were killed when a truck and car collided at the intersection of the N10 from Cookhouse and the R63 from Bedford, also on Saturday night.
Port Elizabeth police spokeswoman Captain Sandra Janse van Renseburg said a culpable homicide docket had been opened by Mount Road police in the wake of the 9.24pm motorcycle and bakkie collision.
She said the motorbike and bakkie had been travelling on the N2 from the direction of Bluewater Bay when the collision occurred, with the motorbike striking the back of the bakkie after the bakkie driver lost control of it.
“The motorcycle caught fire and [Joshua died] at the scene.
“The two occupants of the bakkie were taken to hospital for treatment,” she said.
A family member, who asked not to be named, described yesterday the shock at hearing of the accident, and the family’s devastation.
It comes eight years after the family was rocked by the tragic death of Joshua’s four-year-old son, Thomas.
“Jason was a fantastic man, a fantastic father to his children and a wonderful son and brother,” the relative said.
“He supported and encouraged his children in everything.”
She said the truck company owner and Walmer Downs resident, who was well-known and successful in motorcycle racing circles, was also an excellent shottist and held Springbok colours.
“We are a very close-knit family so right now we are all together, supporting each other. This is a great tragedy,” she said, adding that details of the funeral arrangements would be announced shortly.
Close friend and fellow racing competitor Trevor Wilson, 43, said he had been shocked by the accident.
“He was an excellent racer. He and I were competitive.
“He competed at a regional level and in different categories, including the historical category – which involves bikes from the ’80s like the Suzuki Katanas.
“He was still racing up until the accident,” Wilson said. He said Joshua had also ridden special-edition bikes, like the Yamaha R1 M he was riding when he crashed.
“It is very sad. Jason was a great person.“My mother had a heart attack the year before last and I approached him for financial [help].
“With no issues, he immediately gave me R50 000 for her medical treatment,” Wilson said.
The provincial transport department said the five people killed at the N10-R63 intersection had all been travelling in the same car.
“The truck driver sustained minor injuries and has been transported to Bedford Hospital for medical treatment,” spokeswoman Khuselwa Rantjie said.
On Friday night, four people died in an accident near Lusikisiki and a woman pedestrian was killed the same night when a vehicle left the road and hit her on the pavement.
In the early hours of Saturday, three people died when the bakkie they were travelling in crashed on the R411 near Coffee Bay.