Described by Thandiwe as “an eternal instant”, the collision which almost killed Zweli in August 2008 and left him comatose for many weeks led to permanent and life-changing consequences – medical, social, financial and professional. We interviewed Zweli in February 2026 to learn more. He explains that, from feeling that the world was his oyster before his crash (as a soon-to-be married sports anchor for eNCA and team member at PriMedia Education), afterwards he lost much of what he held dear, including some of his own memories; his fiancée and many friends also walked out of his life, being unable to accept his state of disability. His family stuck by him throughout, however, and he credits his father with saving his life more than once through his determination, his faith and his knowledge from long-ago medical studies before he entered the teaching profession. Zweli notes that all these years later he is still in a state of recovery, with his devastating physical injuries having been accompanied by serious psychological challenges and leading to health conditions (diabetes and epilepsy) which he will have to manage lifelong.

We’re struck by how Zweli’s account of what he’s gone through can serve as a wake-up call, reminding people how vulnerable we are to injury when violent physical forces, high velocities and heavy objects are involved. He also makes clear the ethical obligations we have to ourselves, our loved ones and fellow road users to minimise harm on South Africa’s roads – for example, by not speeding, not driving drunk and not being a distracted driver or pedestrian – and notes that our government is not doing enough to curb lawlessness. His views are very much in line with the Road Ethics Project’s focus on Vision Zero and the Safe System approach.