By Kopano Dibakwane
A dignified mass funeral ceremony was held for on Sunday 20 April 2025 at Tsakani Village, in the Bushbuckridge Local Municipality, to lay to rest the remains of 8 victims of a horrific crash that happened on 8 February 2025, on the R40 Road in Hoedspruit, Limpopo Province.
The victims, who were burnt beyond recognition, were identified through a DNA process that took two moths to complete. 10 of the victims, out of 13, were from Acornhoek in Bushbuckridge.
Addressing the mourners, Mpumalanga Premier-Mandla Ndlovu, said motorists must respect the rules of the road to ensure that such tragedies are avoided.
He said 95% of fatal crashes on South African roads are caused by speeding, texting while driving, not maitaining safe following distance, unroadworthy vehicles, as well as environmental factors such as potholes and weather conditions.
“ We are here to pay our last respect to people who were not unemployed nor grant recipients, they were bread winners who woke up every morning to provide for their families.There are no words to describe the pain of losing a loved one.
Be comforted in knowing that your loss is the loss of all the people of Bushbuckridge and Mpumalanga Province at large. It gives us great comfort that we have come together with the families to give them support during their time of need,” said Ndlovu.
The Premier expressed concern about the unsavoury state of buses that ferry passengers from Acornhoek to Hoedspruit, and announced plans to engage Limpopo Premier-Dr Phophi Ramathuba, in establishing inter-provincial government relations to deal with cross-boundary issues, including road safety.
He furthermore stated that the bereaved families will receive counselling courtesy of the Mpumalanga provincial government. Ndlovu also thanked stakeholders such as RAF(Road Accident Fund) and the local taxi association, for their support towards the families.
The 8 victims laid to rest are:
• Yvonne Mashego(29)
• Loveness Nukeri(21)
• Misis Katlego Makine(12)
• Lindisi Vivian Mathebula(43)
• Gift Kamogelo Mathebula(46)
• Cornelia Sekome(50)
• Mercy Julia Dilebo(53)
• Shadrack Monkie Makine(55)
The funeral was attended by other senior figures including, MEC for Mpumalanga DCSSL(Community Safety, Security and Liaison), Jackie Macie, representatives from the Limpopo provincial government, Chairperson of Mpumalanga House of Traditional and Khoisan Leaders, Kgoshi Lameck Mokoena, Bushbuckridge Local Municipality Executive Mayor, Lydia Morakane, to name but a few.
Caption: Premier Ndlovu(2nd-right)leading the provincial government delegation
Caption: Bereaved families and community members in attendance
