The devastating impact of drunk driving - a grieving mother reflects on sorrow and forgiveness

The devastating effect of drunk driving

A mother reflects on her grief and forgiveness towards intoxicated driver who killed her son

By Lerato Mutsila | 17 April 2025

The devastating effect of drunk driving

A mother reflects on her grief and forgiveness towards intoxicated driver who killed her son​

By Lerato Mutsila | 17 April 2025

Ndiphiwe’s last words to her were about getting home safely. Minutes later, he was dead. 

“People underestimate the impact of alcohol. It destroys lives, and in the long run, it destroys even the people who drink it.” These were Sarah Oliphant’s words as she sat next to a framed picture of her son, Ndiphiwe. The picture was taken in 2014 while Ndiphiwe was attending Holy Family College.

At the time, Ndiphiwe and Sarah could not have predicted that only three years later his life would be callously ripped away by a drunken driver.

Sitting in the living room of her house in Mofolo South, Soweto, clutching another picture of Ndiphiwe, which she kept tucked in a worn Bible, Sarah told Daily Maverick what happened the day her entire world was shattered into pieces.

In September 2017, Ndiphiwe and four of his friends were driving home from the University of Johannesburg after dropping his girlfriend off on campus. As they made their way back to Mofolo South, Ndiphiwe’s car hit a pothole, causing two tyres to burst.

“I remember he called me and told me, but he didn’t know how it happened. He said he was going to get help to change the tyres. I told him okay, and that he must get home safe,” she said.

I remember he called me and told me, but he didn’t know how it happened. He said he was going to get help to change the tyres. I told him okay, and that he must get home safe,

Sarah Oliphant

That was the last time Sarah spoke to Ndiphiwe. Some time after they ended the call, Ndiphiwe, three of his friends and a bystander who had stopped to help were struck by Lazarus Malatji near the Nasrec offramp on the Soweto Highway.

“I was not there, but I was told by a witness that the driver did not even try to stop. He just drove straight into the boys, killing them instantly. The witness told me that when he got to the car, the driver (Malatji) was so drunk he could hardly even talk.

“There was alcohol in the car and everyone was drunk. But none of them were hurt — it was just my son, his friends and an innocent bystander who was just trying to change a tyre,” Sarah said, visibly emotional.

After she received the call that Ndiphiwe had been killed, “a good friend of mine told me that I was screaming, I was acting like a crazy person, but I don’t remember anything. I think I only really started remembering things after I buried my son,” Sarah said, glancing at the framed picture, which was also used at Ndiphiwe’s funeral.

Though Malatji allegedly denied being intoxicated and tried to bribe traffic officers to look the other way, he was arrested for drunk driving. However, before his trial could begin, his blood alcohol level had to be tested by the state laboratory.

Six times the legal limit

At the time Ndiphiwe was killed, Gauteng had a blood alcohol test backlog of 22,915 cases, resulting in thousands of drunk driving cases grinding to a halt.

“I was told that it could take years for the results to come out, so the investigators were surprised when the results came back in months. When the results came out, I was shocked. I knew the man was drunk, but they showed that he was six times over the legal limit,” Sarah exclaimed.

Malatji had a blood alcohol level of 0.30 — compared with the legal limit of 0.05. He would have had to drink at least 13 alcoholic beverages within an hour of the accident to achieve that level.

At this level of intoxication, drinkers begin to experience a near total loss of motor function. They may fall unconscious or be unable to stand or walk.

“I was mad. I was mad because I just felt that this person drove all the way from Tembisa, and the accident happened all the way here in Soweto. There were no roadblocks, there was nothing — he drove all the way here, and there was nothing and no one to stop him,” Sarah said.

Malatji was sentenced to 12 years in jail in 2023. According to South African law, he only has to serve two-thirds of his sentence before he is eligible for parole. With good behaviour, he could be out of prison by 2032. However, Oliphant and the other families will have to live the rest of their lives mourning the loss of their loved ones.

The true cost of drunk driving

Seven years have passed since Ndiphiwe’s death, and Sarah is still trying to pull her life back together.

“The relationship between a parent and an only child is very intense. It is extremely intense. It is hard to deal with a loss like this.

“I remember the other day — I think two months ago — the soundtrack from The Lion King came on. Ndiphiwe was crazy about The Lion King when he was small. I heard that song and I just lost it completely,” she said.

Listen with earphones below. 

This was a boy who had dreams. He was a visionary. He wanted his friends to look at life differently, and he had big plans for his life

Sarah Oliphant

Sarah Oliphant describes how she had to fight to get justice for Ndiphiwe's death. After four long years, the man who killed her son and three of his friends was sentenced to 12 years. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)

Sarah Oliphant holds a picture of her son Ndiphiwe, who was tragically killed by a drunk driver on the Soweto Highway in 2017. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)

Sarah is not only grieving the loss of her only child, but also the man he would have become. She described Ndiphiwe as having been a zealous and determined young man. Even when he was a child, Ndiphiwe was determined to succeed.

“I remember when he was in Grade 1, he was battling a bit with English, so the school called me in to say, ‘Look, he might have to repeat the year.’ When I told him, he said, ‘No, mommy, that is not going to happen.’ And you know what? He ended up working hard and passing the year. That was his attitude to life — he was not scared of challenges,” Sarah recalled.

She remembered how, on the Thursday after Ndiphiwe’s funeral, she received a call from someone looking for him. It turned out that Ndiphiwe had gone for an interview before he died and the person on the phone was calling to offer him a job.

“This was a boy who had dreams. He was a visionary. He wanted his friends to look at life differently, and he had big plans for his life,” Sarah said.

Asked if she had any feelings of resentment towards Malatji, she said: “I forgave him. I want him to have peace in his soul because I know his conscience is not going to give him a break. He will remember what he did for the rest of his life.” DM

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.

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