A Nation Mourns

The Vaal community came together over the weekend to support bereaved families as they laid to rest the children who perished in a horrific road accident early last week. The tragedy occurred on Monday morning when a scholar transport vehicle collided with a side-tipper truck on Fred Droste Road in Vanderbijlpark. Upon arrival at the scene, medical teams certified 11 learners dead. Three others were rushed to local medical facilities for emergency treatment; however, two additional learners later succumbed to their injuries in hospital, bringing the final death toll to 14. On Friday, hundreds of mourners from the community and local schools gathered in Sebokeng for a joint memorial service, united in grief and solidarity. The funerals for Pheello Motaung and Lesego Sefatsa were held at their home in Zone 14, Sebokeng, on Saturday. Motaung was a Grade 11 learner at El-Shaddai Christian School, while Sefatsa was a Grade 2 learner at Oakwood Primary School. Principal Wilmari Botha described young Lesego as a beloved member of the school family who was filled with promise. “Though his time with us at the Oakwood family was short, his life mattered, and his memory will live on in our hearts. As we remember Lesego today, may we find strength and peace in God’s promises, and comfort in knowing that he now rests in the arms of our heavenly Father,” Botha shared. In an interview with the SABC, Lesego’s mother and Pheello’s sister described the two as bubbly and full of life. “Pheello was playful and was in a band; he played so beautifully. Every Friday after school, he went to band practice and played at our church’s ceremonies on the weekends,” his sister recalled. She added that Lesego was straightforward and eager to learn, even asking to be placed in daycare specifically so he could receive help with his homework. Sibongile Madonsela, Bohlale Lekekela, Buhle Radebe, Leano Moiloa, and Naledi Motsapi were also laid to rest on Saturday. On Sunday, a joint burial was held for Ofentse Jayden Vinger, Bokamoso Mokhobo, and Thato Moetji at the Saul Tsotetsi Sports Ground. The service was attended by various MECs, MMCs, and Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi, who offered words of encouragement to the families. Lesufi remarked that if local classrooms were properly equipped, children would not have to leave their own communities in search of better education. “We can’t have a situation where a road to school leads our children to graveyards. We can’t have a situation where, instead of giving our children graduation certificates, we are giving them death certificates. This must come to an end,” the Premier said, emphasising that the loss belonged to the entire nation. The Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth, and Persons with Disabilities, Sindisiwe Chikunga, also attended to pay her respects and called for systemic changes to protect children. “We are here to say their names in our silence and cradle their memories in our voices. We promise solemnly that what took them from us will demand of us a new covenant of safety and care,” she stated. She concluded by describing the learners as the children of democratic South Africa and a beacon of hope for the future. “Their painful and untimely death is not only a personal loss to the families and schoolmates, but it is a loss to the nation,” she added.