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Johannesburg - TV host and actor, Thapelo Mokoena has opened up about being involved in a hit and run, labelling the incident as a hate crime.
In an emotional post on his Facebook page, Thapelo said that the incident occurred on 5 January while out on a run. He says that at first he was hesitant to speak about the matter, but thought about the struggle and realised that as South Africans, we have so much work ahead of us.
Thapelo details how rubble collectors told him that a Audi with two white men allegedly purposely drove him off the road. He was admitted to hospital and is currently recovering.
Here is his story in his own words:
On the 5th of January 2016 at 19h45, I decided to go for an evening run in the bright streets of Vanderbijlpark South SE3 in the Vaal. Fitness being top priority as the new yrar begins. The target was a 10km run just like I had done in the morning of the same day. A calm suburb that I had become accustomed to for well over 4 years. The streets are lit and calm, so in an aim to avoid the scorching heat during the day, early mornings and early evenings make the most suitable time to run/jog.I started my run and it's was going well as usual. I reached my 5km mark and started to make my way back. I was listening to my Nike Run music playlist as I trotted along and it was notifying me every 2 kilometres so I was well on track. My target of 10km in 55mins is well within reach. Nikeplus notifies me on 6th km as I make my way back. I keep going and just before I reach 7km it all ended. What happened??
The next thing I know I wake up on the side of the road bleeding everywhere( from my head, my arms & my legs) .I am disorientated,shouting at the man helping me. He keeps saying, "I'm calling an ambulance, you are badly hurt!" and I keep saying, "No! Take me to my house or I'll walk there. I want to see my wife and my son." He puts his foot down and says, "I AM TAKING YOU TO THE HOSPITAL or WE ARE WAITING HERE FOR AN AMBULANCE!" He had called one already. By this time his wife has also left the house and joined us in aid.Apparently by this point I was saying a lot of things, some making sense some not, but mostly that I want to go home to my wife and son. All i can remember is that he was wearing a comrades marathon top and i kept saying, "oh i see you're a runner as well" amongst all the madness.He puts me in his car and drives me home, its easy to direct him as i was a mere 2,5km away from home to make the 10km. I get off the car and run into the house and tell wife to drive me to hospital and no one else should follow or come with us, even my good samaritan.
He tries to fight my decision and quickly sees that I mean business and just follows behind my wife and I in his car. We get to the hospital, my wife is in shock but super composed at the same time, while dealing with me. I get taken by the hospital staff and I collapse on to the stretcher bed and the rest is history.The question still remains though, what happened?Now according to the 2 street rubbel collecter guys, a red Audi was driving on the fast lane and changed lanes to come to the slow lane to knock me out the road and got back on the fast lane to drive off. Literally HIT & RUN! I was unconcious for 15 to 20 minutes on the road and i miraculously took a huge gasp of air and went manic. According to the 2 street guys, the driver of the vehicle and his passenger where white males...The same night I wake up in hospital in a lot of pain. I have open wound in my head and i am being stitched, open wounds on my back, my arms and the back of my legs and a fractured ankle so I can't walk. I am screaming as this is taking place and I'm asking questions, "Where is my wife and Son?" I am still wearing my running clothes (neon blue Nike running t shirt, and black shorts) except the shoes, they've been taken off. Full of blood. My hospital bed is red and my family is all around me.All I remember was going for a quick run and i was going to come back home to pack and leave the next day for my home in Johannesburg and later to Rustenburg for the 104 years of the African National Congress celebrations.
Now obviously none of the above took place as this is day 4 in hospital dealing with pains, trying to fight internal bleeding & not being able to sleep and I still have no clue who did this to me and why.The investigators can only start when I have lifted myself from this bed and gone to the police station to file my case, I still have no idea who the drivers of the red Audi are/were.Now,I promised myself that this would be my personal battle & I wouldn't use my celebrity status to make noise about this ordeal.But I went and changed my mind today. I thought about it and I decided the struggle continues and I shall continue to be a public servant and highlight that there's not yet UHURU. We are still in a South Africa full of hate and anamosity. When I see the ANC celebrating 104 years, I look at the mirror at my dishevelled face and I'm reminded that we are still stuck in the Land of Struggle. We have a long way to go and we have a lot to undo.It's so much easier to spread LOVE like Robert Nesta Marley said.
