Woman collapses and dies at memorial service for ZCC bus crash victims
Devastated by the sudden passing of four relatives who were among the casualties of the Zion Christian Church (ZCC) bus crash that claimed 45 lives, the Tshekiso family has been hit by further heartache.
At a memorial service on Friday 10 May, hours before the four were due for burial, a fifth family member, Nani Molefi, 59, collapsed and died.
The mother-of-three’s death has plunged the already mourning family deeper into despair.
Speaking to The Voice from their homestead in Molepolole’s Lekgwapheng-la-Dithejwane ward, loved ones spoke of how they were preparing meals for the funeral when, completely out-of-the-blue, Molefi fainted.
Pain etched on his face, Tshepiso Ntsima, 46, said the timing of his uncle’s wife’s death was particularly painful as the family has already had to deal with so much.
“We were together the whole day, she was just okay. After arrival of the corpses at home, that’s when she looked distressed. Around 10pm she took two bags of samp to the women at the fire place to cook them,” explained Ntsima, adding his aunt was told they would cook the samp later as there was still plenty of time.
“In her last words she asked the woman if she will be responsible to answer if the samp was not cooked. Just after the woman responded saying yes, we thought she was feeling dizzy. She just went down slowly to her knees and we swiftly took her to the vehicle, where others drove her to the hospital,” explained Ntsima, speaking to The Voice at a memorial service for Molefi last Tuesday.
Suspecting Molefi, who was asthmatic, had suffered an attack, the family were not too worried, believing she would be alright and back home in time for the burial.
Sadly, it was not to be.
Later, when Ntsima went to the hospital to check on his in-law, he was shocked to find his relatives in tears at the emergency entrance; Molefi was already gone.
Another relative, Mokgweetsi Tshekiso, who lost his brother, sister, niece and daughter-in-law in the bus crash, shared similar words of woe.
“It’s so stressful that this has happened when we are still mourning. It’s painful that we did not have a moment to view the deceased’s lifeless bodies either; it’s all very painful. Anyway, God is there to comfort us,” said Mokgweetsi.
The deceased’s last born son, 35-year-old Keoagile Padlock Ramokgalo described his mother as a loving, caring, softly-spoken woman and a committed Christian who enjoyed joking and was ever-smiling.
“These funerals really broke our hearts. If it wasn’t that we lost more relatives, my mother wouldn’t have died. We are trying to hold our emotions but we are overwhelmed; it’s so difficult for us,” said the distressed Ramokgalo.
“We trust in God to heal the wounds in our hearts,” the young man concluded bravely.
Molefi, a New House of God Church member was laid to rest on Saturday, just a week after her four family members were buried.
The quartet perished on 28 March along with 41 fellow St Engenas ZCC pilgrims when the bus transporting them to Moira for Easter prayers lost control in the Limpopo mountains and veered off a bridge.
In the tragedy, the Tshekiso family lost 57-year-old Moetapele Tshekiso and his daughter, Thato Tshekiso aged 19. Moetapele leaves behind his wife and five children.
Another member, Boitshoko Tshekiso, 45, leaves behind her husband and four children while Mokgabo Batlotlegi, 73, is survived by five children.
