Family, friends and grieving community members gathered at Sebokeng hall in Vereeniging on Friday to honour the lives of the 14 pupils killed in a tragic accident in Vanderbiljpark earlier this week.
Marked by tears, prayers and emotional tributes, the memorial service was attended by musicians, friends, scholars and church leaders.
The father of seven-year-old Lesego Otlile Sefatsa remembered his son as someone who taught him how to love.
“My son taught me how to love. He was a child filled with laughter and free-spirited. Only God knows why he took my son.
“I believe that God is a jealous God and he knows why he has to take our children. But he still remains God. With all the pain and sadness, he remains true to his promises,’ he said.
“I want to encourage schools and parents who’ve lost their loved one. We will be OK.”
Among those in attendance were gospel singer Taki Ndou, Omega Khunou, representatives from the Scholar Transport Association, Sedibeng District Municipality council and Gauteng department of education spokesperson Steve Mabona.
Mourners cried loudly and openly. Some were so overwhelmed with grief that they had to be taken to ambulances for medical help.
There was a heavy presence of police and emergency services. Christian spiritual leaders prayed over the ceremony while the hymn Sedilaka played, the lyrics to which are: “Sedi laka, mponesetse tsela. Ke tsamaye. Ho lefifi, hape ho sebaka” (“My light, show me the way / That I may go / My journey is too dark and long”.
The memorial service was held at Sebokeng Hall, Vereeniging on Friday. (Kabelo)
Several speakers took the podium to share heartfelt tributes and personal memories of the pupils, painting a picture of children who were deeply loved, cherished and smart.
The choir sang hymns as family members wept while comforting one another.
“What God has planned, we don’t have knowledge of. We only know that we will depart from this world, but how we do not know,” said Gabriel Maboe, chairperson of the National Association of School Governing Bodies, Sedibeng Region.
“We can never get used to death. That’s why I say to you, when God is with us, he is enough. When we lose our loved ones we become emotional, we find ourselves believing in different things,“ he said.
Maboe said it was a struggle for the school governing body to monitor scholar transport.
“I encourage you that when you see any issues, report it and speak up. The school governing body will make sure that the issue is properly dealt with,” he said.
Gauteng education transport services (GET) representative Daniel Ramufhufhu also paid tribute to the families, saying GET would ensure that scholar transport was well regulated going forward.
“Parents contribute to the safety of their children. They pay a small amount of money to a vehicle that is unfit to be on the road. If you take your child at the back of the bakkie, you are disregarding your child’s safety and saying that their lives are not important,” he said.
He urged parents and members of the community to join in practising road safety.
“Amandla awethu, long love the spirit of our kids, long live.”
Sedibeng district municipality councillor Lerato Maloka said when they first heard the news about the accident, they were in shock and disbelief.
“As the district, we sympathise with you. We have lost the shine of our future. Their laughter and young spirit has left us to be with the Lord,” she said.
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