Sheila Road

**Sheila Road** is an urban legends once a vibrant, young and kind lady, was stranded on the N2 highway in Durban with a flat tyre. She flagged over a vehicle, hoping for assistance yet when a car pulled over, the occupants of the vehicle were intoxicated and had a perverse sense of entertainment.

## History

According to local lore, the men allegedly raped Sheila, tortured and marked her, and eventually slitting her throat. Sheila’s spirit allegedly haunts the N2 and the Higginson Highway in Durban. It is reported that people have seen a lady hitchhiking on the highway, seeking a lift and when the lift is given, the lady mysteriously disappears.

While religious leaders have dispelled the myth that the recent deaths on the Higginson Highway are linked to Highway Sheila (an urban legend), many motorists still believe in her, claiming that evil forces are directly attributed to the high number of accidents on the notorious stretch. Recently, a Metro cop, together with his family, were terrified after they almost rammed into a person dressed in white, who came in front of their car when travelling on the Higginson Highway during the late hours of the night, three weeks ago.

The young police officer at first said he was petrified and shocked, with all sorts of thoughts running through his mind. He quickly rubbished claims that he believed in Highway Sheila doing her rounds. He said the next day, he learnt that the person in question committed suicide by running into the oncoming vehicles on the Higginson Highway.

“When someone comes in front of your car in the middle of the night dressed in white, all sorts of beliefs will come to mind. I must admit that it was a frightening experience for my family and I but as a devout Hindu, I know that the power of God is unmatched with any form of evil,” added the police officer.

Croftdene resident, Ashwin Khusiyal, experienced a similar encounter when he drove home from a function six years ago. Khusiyal said, “I was returning from a wedding eve in Kharwastan, at around midnight. Five other family members were with me in the car . After we entered the highway, I noticed a beautiful woman dressed in a black dress, with skin as white as snow. She was ahead of us, standing with her arms out, as if waiting to be hit by a vehicle. I started swearing at her, as my father had taught me to do in such situations. My family was bewildered with my actions, until they noticed her as well. As we drove past, she turned her head and looked at me, but I continued swearing. However, when we returned to Chatsworth a few days later to visit my mother-in-law, she seemed ill. She was distant and quiet for no apparent reason, but I then realised that it may have something to do with the incident that occurred earlier in the week. So, without her noticing, I took the God-lamp water and splashed it on her three times. This made her wake up from this state. Similarly, my daughter experienced the same incident when coming back from Westville. She witnessed a woman in the same attire on the highway. She too displayed odd behaviour, crying regularly after the incident.”

Prolific letter writer, Dhayalan Moodley, said that while he personally does not believe in the existence of Highway Sheila, one cannot rule out the possibility of this phenomena. Moodley said, “Many people dabble in witchcraft and welcome the forces of evil into other people’s lives. There were dozens of accidents on the Higginson Highway and some cases have not been solved to date. In life, when virtues seem to sink, you have vices threatening to prevail. That is why you need God in your life. All religious leaders should come together and hold a prayer service on the highway before the festive period.” Rosemary Dass, who lives in Havenside, (alongside the Higginson Highway), said, “I have witnessed many collisions on the Higginson Highway, which is across my home. Many have succumbed to their injuries. I believe in obeying the rules of the law , the speed limit and the power of prayer for safe driving. Highway Sheila’s soul is lingering, so we need to all pray for her soul to rest in peace.”

Another motorist, Sathie Naidoo, also spoke to the Rising Sun. Naidoo said, “When we first moved to Chatsworth in the 1960s, the Higginson Highway was a two-way road. We had experienced the carnage of what Highway Shiela had done. There were a number of fatal crashes and we could not explain it. Many of the drivers never consumed alcohol or drove fast, but lost their lives tragically. I do believe that there are evil forces on the highway and lots of chanting and prayers are needed. Since the cemetery was built, more and more deaths have occurred on the highway. I believe the spirits of the dead still linger on the highway, coming from the cemetery.”

Well-known pastor, Cyril Pillay of the People’s Church of God, said, “As I am a resident of the Chatsworth community for the past 51 years, I believe that there are evil forces at play on the ‘highway of death’. It is for this reason that we conduct our annual road saving campaign on the Higginson Highway. If people see something eerie on our roads, I advise them to become more God-conscious, and pray.”

Attorney and president of the South African Hindu Maha Sabha, Ashwin Trikamjee, said, “We need to reject such notions of evil entities, as there is no empirical evidence of such occur – rences. Most of these incidents come down to reckless or negligent driving. If we see that multiple incidents have occurred on the same strip, motorists need to be wary, and more cautious on the road.”

In the Chatsworth community in Durban, many people have tales to tell about this ‘ghost’ story, often tales that cannot be verified or confirmed due to a lack of evidence. in 2015, stories still surface of ‘Highway Sheila’, the unsettled spirit or ghost that haunts the N2, with nobody knowing how to put this alleged ghost to rest.