One of the world’s most famous ghosts is the Uniondale hitchhiker.
The Accident
On a cold, rainy Good Friday night in 1968, Lieutenant Giel Pretorius of the Air Force Base Bloemspruit and his fiancée, Maria Charlotte Roux, were on their way to visit her parents in Riversdale to complete their wedding arrangements. At the Barandas turn-off nineteen kilometres before Uniondale, Pretorius lost control of his VW Beetle, rolling it. He and Roux were flung from the vehicle, seriously injuring him and instantly killing her.
The First Sighting
On a wet and miserable evening eight years later, also around Easter, Anthony le Grange was driving home from Willowmore to Oudtshoorn. At the Barandas turn-off, he picked up a dark-haired, very pale female hitchhiker, who was wearing black slacks, a blue blouse, and black coat. ‘Where are you going?’ he asked. ‘No. 2, Porter Street, De Lange,’ she replied. Not recognizing the address, he turned to her to get more information — only to find he was alone in the car.
The Terrifying Experience
In a panic, Le Grange sped to the Uniondale police station, where he reported the incident to Constable Cornelius Potgieter before continuing his journey. ‘Just as I crossed the bridge at Pootjiesriver outside Uniondale, I suddenly heard the most chilling sound of my life,’ said Le Grange. ‘A hysterical scream of fear and shock erupted right beside me. It was inside my car. I was totally terrified. My flesh went cold and creepy.’
The Investigation
Now beside himself with terror, Le Grange returned to the police station to convince Potgieter to follow him to the spot. ‘I don’t believe in ghosts, but I accompanied him back to the spot in my patrol van,’ recalled Potgieter in an interview with Clare Stern of the Sunday Times. ‘As we approached the bridge, the rear door of Mr. le Grange’s car opened and shut. He told me he had heard the scream again. The lunch box and flask which he had placed on the front seat were now on the back seat. Mr. le Grange was shaking with fright, and though I was terrified, I searched his car. Convinced there was something inside, I said: “Can I help you, what is troubling you?” But there was no reply. That’s when we beat it back to the police station.’
Identifying the Ghost
Back at the police station, Le Grange identified his mysterious passenger from an old photograph of Maria Roux.
Similar Experiences
In 1978, Army Corporal van Jaarsveld had a similar experience. He stopped his motorcycle and offered a lift to a young woman with long dark hair and dark clothing. She climbed on, putting his spare helmet on her head and wrapping her arms around his waist. A few miles down the road, van Jaarsveld felt a small jolt and turned to check on his passenger – she was gone. Quickly he turned around to go and look for her – assuming that she had fallen off the motorcycle. It wasn’t until a few moments later that he noticed that the helmet neatly refastened to his luggage rack…
The Legend
Many people think that, because Maria was asleep when she died, she doesn’t know that she is dead and is still desperately trying to reach her parents’ house to tell them her exciting news…
Note: After her fiance died in 1984 in another car crash there have been no more ghost sightings of her.
Old YouTube video of a story from SABC