SA teacher detained in China following fatal accident

South African teacher Francois Van Zyl de Kock has been detained in China. Picture: Supplied/gogetfunding.com The family of South African teacher Francois Van Zyl de Kock has launched a public fundraising campaign to raise 880 000 renminbi (RMB), about R2.2 million, in compensation sought by the family of a Chinese woman who died following a traffic incident in Wuhan last year. Van Zyl de Kock, originally from Vanderbijlpark in Gauteng, has been detained in Wuhan for the past three months after he was arrested in connection with the incident.

According to a statement issued by his family, the accident occurred on 3 August 2025 on a rainy evening while he was travelling back to his apartment on an electric scooter. They say he had recently relocated to Wuhan after teaching in Hainan Province, hoping to expand his opportunities as a teacher and pursue his passion for coaching rugby. “Francois contacted our family and expressed excitement about his new apartment, his recently purchased electric scooter, and settling into life in Wuhan.

The following week, however, we did not hear from him, which caused growing concern. His brother, Hermanus, contacted his employment agent and was informed that Francois had been arrested in connection with a traffic accident,” the family said in a public plea for help. The family said Van Zyl de Kock was unfamiliar with the city and had been sightseeing when a sudden cloudburst reduced visibility.

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He maintains that an elderly woman ran into the road from in front of a bus at around 10pm and due to the heavy rain and poor lighting, he believed he had not made contact and continued driving. Two days later, police arrested him at his residence. According to authorities, the woman later succumbed to injuries sustained in the incident approximately one month after the collision. The prosecution has reportedly proposed a sentence of between three- and four-years’ imprisonment.

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