Daily Sun (February 5 2015) - ISAAC OPENED his eyes but saw nothing because he was in total darkness.
He tried to move but he couldn't because he was in a small, confined space.
THEN ISAAC REALISED HE WAS TRAPPED IN A BODY BAG!
"I used the little life I had left in me to kick and toss about, trying to open the bag," said Isaac
Kekana (46) from Alexandra, north of Joburg.
"Fortunately somebody realised that I was not dead and got me out."
Only minutes away from being taken to a state mortuary, badly injured Isaac was taken to Helen Joseph Hospital instead.
Isaac was one of the passengers on the back of a bakkie that crashed on the Marlboro off-ramp of the N3 highway.
At least 10 people died in the crash when the driver of the bakkie carrying over 15 passengers lost control.
Isaac said his life will never be the same.
"I was thrown off the back of the bakkie. I hit the pavement and lost consciousness.
"When I opened my eyes, I was in a small dark space."
That's when he started kicking and waving his arms.
Isaac was saved, but for his family a horror story of confusion, neglect and the disinterested carelessness of state officials was just beginning.
When his daughter, Nancy Majola (23) heard about the accident, she rushed to the JMPD offices and was shown pictures of the people who had died at the scene.
"My father's picture was shown to me as a dead person," she said. They were told the bodies had been taken to Hillbrow mortuary.
Nancy went home to break the news to the family in Alexandra and those who lived out of town were called.
By Sunday the house was full of mourners. Other relatives arrived on Monday for the burial meeting.
"We went to collect his body from Hillbrow and take it to our private mortuary," said Nancy's cousin Norman Kekane (31).
But the body wasn't there.
"We panicked. We didn't know what was going on," she said.
The family had no choice but to sit at the mortuary until all the bodies from the accident had been claimed.
It was only then they were advised to go and look for him at Helen Joseph, and that is where they found the injured man.
Nancy said the family is very happy to have Isaac back and they will find the money to perform a cleansing ritual for him.
Emergency Medical Services spokeswoman Nana Radebe said she cannot confirm or deny the claims.
"There were three different medical institutions at the scene and nothing like that was reported to us," she said.
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