The traffic officer who rescued a three-year-old left alone in a closed vehicle in 2018 has passed away.
Also read: Cop saves 3-year-old left in car
Inspector Nontsikelelo Kalimani from Traffic Services: Area West was the first on the scene at Grand Parade in August 2018, where she found a distressed toddler sweating in the back of a Toyota Avanza, seemingly alone.
Kalimani managed to relax the child while the passenger-side window was broken to free the girl.
At the time of the incident, it was reported that the adults looking after the child were attending a church gathering and it was believed that she was left alone for most of the morning.
‘Nontsikelelo graced the headlines in 2018 when she came across a helpless toddler locked inside a vehicle on the Grand Parade, in the scorching heat,’ JP Smith, Cape Town’s Mayco member for safety and security, said on Facebook.
‘Inspector Kalimani instinctively breached one of the windows to free the child. Her genuine compassion for her fellow humans always shone through.’
Kalimani ended her service with the City at the end of February 2024 due to a terminal illness. Smith adds that she ‘embodied the spirit of traffic services’ and was an active choir member and a dedicated inspector.
‘Inspector Kalimmani, you are a true testament to all that is good. You have left a mark on your colleagues, on our City, on everyone you came into contact with. May your family find comfort through these sad times.’
‘Gone but never forgotten. Until Valhalla…’
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Picture: Roger Sedres / Gallo Images