He stood still as the body of his bosom friend was slowly lowered into the grave. It is a story of survival that defies belief. Amid the horror accident and the three people who had perished,  David Sematla is one of the people who miraculously survived.

Now, exactly three weeks after the disaster, he has spoken for the first time about the experience.

Sematla was among the mourners who came to pay their last respects to the father and three children who were recently swept away by the floods near Musina. He was one of the three people who survived the accident. The accident remains one of the deadliest during the recent floods that hit Limpopo.

During the funeral, it was clear from his face that he could not understand how he had survived. “Even when I see these three coffins going down into the graves, I feel like I’m living in a dream. I cannot believe that I am one of the survivors and that all these things are happening. It will take several years for me to forget that my bosom friend and his two kids are gone forever.”

Sematla says although he had received some counselling, it was very hard to forget what had happened. “I never go a day without thinking about the horrible accident. It’s hard not to think about it. When I look in the mirror, I have scars that no one can see. It is all in my mind.”

Yet while the pain from his minor injuries has faded over time, a small scar on his hand reminds him of a tragedy that he thinks about every day. He says the scar helps to remind him of his lucky escape.  “I understand that I have lost my dear friend and his kids, but I will never forget this ordeal for the rest of my life. Although they are dead and being buried here today, I console myself by the fact that their spirits still live on.”