SATURDAY, 10 May, marked one year since the day that changed Ditebogo Phalane Senior's life forever.
It's been a year since he lost his five-year-old son, Ditebogo Junior, in a heart-wrenching hijacking incident.
Ditebogo Phalane Senior shared the traumatic experience with a heavy heart.
He recounted events of that fateful night.
"I remember driving with my unconscious son, carrying him on my lap, hugging him with my left hand, holding him tightly to my chest. I was driving at the fastest speed I've ever driven in my life, passing other cars as though I'm on a Formula 1 racing track," said Ditebogo.
He remembered the flashing hazard lights and the hooters from other cars. Perhaps, motorists thought he was drunk or high.
"I don't know how I managed to get to hospital in that state," he said.
Ditebogo revealed that despite not having CPR experience, he tried to feel his son's pulse while driving.
"It kept coming and going. At some point, I felt it at another, I didn't. I was positive we'd get to hospital, and we'd bring our son back to life. I thought he was asleep due to the shock," he said.
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In a heart-wrenching account, Ditebogo described his prayers and pleas to God and his ancestors.
"I prayed and asked God and my ancestors to forgive me wherever I have wronged them, that please don't punish me through my innocent son who has no sins. I changed my prayer to a command, saying, 'Ditebogo Junior Phalane, I am your father. I gave you life. I prayed for you before you were born. There's no way you can turn your back on me now, son. You are Phalane - you're more than a bullet.'
"The more I prayed, the more I lost his pulse. I stopped praying and stepped harder on the accelerator. We got to the hospital, and the way they opened the gates, it was like they were expecting us. When we got to the emergency ward, nurses snatched my son away from my arms, straight to the bed, shouting 'Doctor, doctor!' The doctor came in seconds, and calmly said, 'I'm here,'" he said.
Recently, Ditebogo had a crossing-over reading with his late son that he shared with the public.
In this reading, Baby Ditebogo Junior apologised for not being able to survive the attack.
"I love you, I'm sorry I did not fight and I was not strong enough to be there. There was a lot of fluid in my lungs, I could not breathe, and I was in a lot of discomfort before passing away."
The family now seeks justice for Ditebogo Junior's tragic death.
The case will continue on Wednesday, 28 May and Thursday, 29 May, in the Pretoria North Magistrates Court.
