Emotional farewell for scholar bus crash victims | Daily Sun

Emotional family members of the six Morelig Combined School learners during the funeral service. Photo by Bulelwa Ginindza

THE families of six crash victims were laid in their final resting place.

“We will never forget.”

These were the words of a Mpumalanga family that lost two of their loved ones in the tragic accident involving a scholar bus and a goods train last Thursday, 31 August.

The accident occurred on the R104 road between Wonderfontein and Arnot. The six pupils from Morelig Combined School were heading home when their bus collided with a goods train, leaving several learners slightly and seriously injured.

Sinenhlanhla Sibanyoni (18), Nomfundo Sibanyoni (18), Joseph Mabena (17), Sibusiso Mokoneni (16) and Prudence Masina (17), and died at the scene of the accident. Meanwhile, Katlego Majutle (14) succumbed to her injuries in hospital.

The six crash victims were laid to rest on Saturday, 10 August, in different areas. A sombre moment engulfed the Sikhululiwe Community Hall where families, friends, and hundreds of villagers came to pay their last respects to the six learners.

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Jerry Sibanyoni, a family member of Nomfundo and Sinenhlanhla, told Daily Sun that the family is deeply hurt by losing two people at the same time. He said it is difficult for the family to process the untimely death of the two sisters who had a bright future ahead of them.

“We’re deeply hurt as a family because this is a double blow for us. We will never forget. It’s not an easy thing to lose two of your kids at the same time. The government has failed us,” he said.

Jerry alleged the learners had been reporting the behaviour of the driver for some time, but the government did not do anything about it.

“This doesn’t sit well with us as the families. The driver must be punished; he cannot kill so many children and get away without being punished. He must be arrested for his actions,” he said.

Another family member, Morewane Mageru, said they can’t explain how they feel. He said the family would have found solace if their child was sick.

“It was going to be better if she was sick, but that’s not the case. She died due to the recklessness of someone. We can’t call it a mistake,” he said.

One of the survivours, Ndlelenhle Jiyane, said she doesn’t recall how the accident happened. She said she found herself lying in the bushes with some learners lying not far from her. Jiyane said she can recall seeing the train approaching but doesn’t know what happened after that.

The Grade 11 learner said she is still traumatised and called for justice for the six learners who died.

“The driver must be arrested for driving recklessly. We want justice for our fellow schoolmates. He must remain behind bars,” she said.

Meanwhile, parents have called for the government to prioritise the safety of learners. Sibusiso Masango, chairman of the School Governing Body, proposed that schools should have breathalysers to ensure that drivers don’t come to work under the influence of alcohol or any drugs.

Mpumalanga Premier, Mandla Ndlovu, joined the scores of mourners. He said the government is going to pay special attention to this matter. Ndlovu said they have appointed 100 traffic officers who will focus on inspecting scholar transport buses.

“They will be on the road and visible,” he said.

A preliminary report released by the Railway Safety Regulator on Monday, 5 August, suggested that the bus driver failed to adhere to road signs at a level crossing.