By Alex Eliseev, Lebogang Seale, Solly Maphumulo and Shaun Smillie
Ian Mthombeni was led to the four bodies lying in the tall grass. A silver space blanket was lifted and his knees buckled. The father stared into the dead face of his 16-year-old son and let out a wail.
Andile, a Grade 11 pupil at Altmont Technical High School, was one of four boys killed yesterday while walking home from school - mowed down by an out-of-control car.
The boys were killed when a Mini Cooper crashed off the road and rolled into the grass. According to witnesses and metro police officers at the scene, the Mini was racing against another Mini Cooper down Protea Boulevard, which runs between Protea Glen and Protea North.
Joburg metro police confirmed that one of the drivers of the vehicles was musician JubJub Maarohanye, Mama Jackey's son. Both drivers were arrested.
It appears a charcoal-coloured Mini was speeding past a blue one when it encountered an oncoming vehicle. In a bid to get back into its lane, it crashed into the blue Mini and sent it hurtling off the road.
The blue car rolled about 10 metres before coming to a rest on its roof. The charcoal one also swerved off the road and stopped a metre from the tarmac, at 90 degrees to the road.
The accident happened around 4pm, and a further three boys were rushed to hospital as priority one - a term used by medics to determine the seriousness of patients. Neither driver was seriously injured.
Mthombeni doesn't know, or doesn't remember, who called him to tell him about the crash. "I'm not sure," he kept saying.
Mthombeni rushed to the scene and waited to be led to the bodies. A chaplain spoke to him and put a hand on his shoulder. It was at about 5.40pm that his nightmare was confirmed.
Standing among the bodies, Mthombeni lost his strength for a moment and was helped up by the chaplain. School shoes, hats and bags were scattered at his feet.
Grey school trousers and arms protruded from the space blanket.
Mthombeni was taken away and sat on the pavement across the street. He buried his face in his hands and wept.
His wife was at the hospital, having been falsely told that their son was there.
"He was my only child," he said, before being taken away in a police car. His wife arrived later and was also led away by officers.
The Star cannot reveal the names of the other boys until their families have been informed.
It's understood that some of the boys were from a Jeppestown school, and all appear to have been in grades 10 to 12.
JubJub's father Sydney was at the scene and declined to comment. Sydney was seen speaking to various police officers and to Jeff Maranele, Jub Jub's manager.
He was also spotted trying to remove a sticker, saying "JubJub" in cursive script, while the cars were removed. Officers were forced to push him away.
A witness who identified herself only as Tumi, said she was driving past the scene as the crash happened.
"This was a clear case of reckless and negligent driving and nothing else," the angry woman said. "It could have been avoided. I could see the face of this boy, he looked so young... about 13 or 14 years."
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