adminSukulwenkosi Dube/Nokusa Masuku Chronicle Reporters
Nine bodies of the 12 Zimbabweans who died in a car crash in Botswana recently, arrived in the country last night ahead of today’s burial in Malila area, Tsholotsho, in Matabeleland North. One more person, Wellington Donga, 29, died yesterday in a Botswana hospital bringing the death toll to 12. Two other victims from Bulilima District were buried yesterday at their homestead in Matjinge area.
About 50 mourners coming from Botswana and South Africa in a convoy of five vehicles arrived yesterday evening with the nine bodies and were met by members of the Tsholotsho District Civil Protection Committee at the border.
Kings and Queens Funeral parlour, with headquarters in South Africa, donated nine coffins to facilitate the burial.
One of the mourners, Fisher Ndebele, said it was a terrible ordeal for them to have lost eight family members at once in the accident that occurred along the Palapye-Martins Drift Road in the neighbouring country.
He said the accident victims would be buried this morning.
“We left with three Quantum hearses in South Africa and we passed through Botswana where the accident occurred and performed some rituals. Thereafter we collected the bodies at Mahalapye mortuary,” said Ndebele.
Tsholotsho District Administrator Nosizi Dube said burial would be in the morning today.
She said a big tent would be pitched at Malila Line in Ward 16 where mourners would be gathered for a mass service.
She said thereafter, they would move from one household to the other to bury the victims.
Kings and Queens Funeral parlour’s chief executive officer Reuben Phiri said Zimbabweans supported them when they started the company in South Africa.
“When we started operating in South Africa where our head office is, we were supported by Zimbabweans in South Africa. To be where we’re today it’s because of them. We feel we’ve to give back to the community and mourn together,” said Phiri.
He said last year the parlour donated 23 coffins to families of people who died when a mine collapsed in South Africa and among the dead were Zimbabweans.
Online Reporter