MAEBANE – More than 5000 mourners from different areas around Limpopo, led by the Premier Sello Moloto and Khosi Thovhele-Vho-Toni Mphephu Ramabulana, attended the mass funeral of the nine people who died in a horrific accident between a goods train and a bus on April 25 at Muraleni on Sunday.

The ceremony took place at the Luvhivhini Secondary School.

The other person who was killed in the accident was buried on Saturday evening in the Gogobole cementary, because she was from the royal family.

Two of the deceased were each buried at the Midoroni and Makhitha graveyards and five were laid to rest at Maebane.

During the ceremony, Premier Moloto said the whole province and country were shocked after receiving the bad news of the accident and said it is a great loss to the Limpopo Province and community as whole. He emphasised that the next of kin of the deceased had to support each other.

The mayor of the Makhado Municipality, Cllr Sariel Nkuzana, expressed his condolences to the families and said that their loved ones will be always be remembered.

A representative of the undertakers, who volunteered to bury the bus victims, Mr Mususumeli Sigidi from Tshithithe Funeral Directors, said that they were touched by the disaster and, together with other business managers, agreed to bury the deceased free of charge. Sigidi said that the estimated cost of the funeral was about R200 000. The five undertakers who assisted in the burial are LTT & Rabali Funeral Suppliers, Tshitshithe Funeral Directors, SA Funeral, MMK Funeral Supplers, Maeteko Funeral and Mkhari Funeral Services.

The spokesperson for the municipal disaster committee, Mr Ntsieni Magwala, appealed to business people and community members to donate money to the Disaster Fund. According to him, the Makhado Municipality donated R20 000 to the fund and presented the families of the deceased with groceries.

Magwala further said four people are still in hospital and two of them will never walk again. Magwala mentioned that in June they will hold a jazz festival at the Makhado show grounds for the disaster account.

The CEO of Spoornet, Mr S Gama, said the Spoornet donated R75 000. Mr Tshikume Phadziri from Phadziri Bus Company said that the Phadziri bus company donated R60 000 to the disaster fund.