Hertta-Maria Amutenja
The death of a 26-year-old motorcyclist in a collision involving a Seapride Foods delivery truck has raised concerns about the company’s vehicle maintenance practices and accountability.
The fatal accident occurred in Windhoek last month.
According to police reports, a four-tonne truck reportedly hit a motorcycle on Robert Mugabe Avenue, causing it to collide with other stationary vehicles.
The motorcyclist, identified as Romario Tony Pienaar, died at the scene.
Romario’s mother, Suzette Elizabeth Dominguez, has since accused Seapride Foods of negligence, alleging that the truck’s brakes were not functioning properly at the time of the accident.
“Innocent people were waiting for a red light to change when my son’s life was tragically taken,” Dominguez said in a social media post addressed to the company.
Dominguez also alleged that Seapride Foods failed to support her family following the accident.
Despite reaching out three times for assistance with funeral expenses, she said her requests were ignored.
“By the two-week mark after my son’s death, I was left with overwhelming debt due to the funeral arrangements, which I had to handle alone since your truck was responsible for this tragedy,” she said.
Dominguez claimed that two weeks after the incident, a senior representative informed her that the company had instructed staff not to engage with her further.
“Given that your company’s truck killed my son, it is not unreasonable to expect that you would cover the damages and repair my son’s motorcycle. Yet, I was met with silence,” she added.
Dominguez, who has taken the matter public, insists that Seapride Foods prioritise public safety and conduct proper oversight of their fleet.
“The lives of citizens should not be at risk due to negligence in maintenance and a lack of proper oversight,” she said.
Road safety activist Felix Tjozongoro weighed in on the incident, saying that brake failures are a common issue in larger trucks, often resulting in accidents.
“It comes down to the maintenance of the specific vehicle. Usually, in these bigger trucks, brake failures are a common issue—they have a high rate of such failures. That is why we have an arrest bed near the entrance of Usakos,” Tjozongoro explained.
He stressed the need for a thorough investigation to determine whether the accident was caused by brake failure, driver error, or cost-cutting measures by the company.
“The mere fact that the company is not coming forward makes it more difficult,” he said.
Questions sent to Seapride Foods were not responded to by the time of publication.
