Their broken bodies were scattered all over the road and it was impossible for someone to look at them twice before tears would start running down one’s face. Scores of bewildered community members looked on in disbelief as the badly mutilated bodies were loaded into the hearse that carried the once jubilant youths, who were singing freedom songs earlier in the day, not knowing that their joyride from a youth summit would end up in the merciless jaws of a death trap.

This is the description of the uncompromising cruelty of death, which has continued to rob the local community of three youthful leaders of the Thulamela Municipality and the African National Congress who lost their lives in a horrific accident that claimed five lives over the weekend.

The fatal accident took place at Khalavha public road, along the Thathe Vondo plantation late on Saturday afternoon.

Police are investigating a case of culpable homicide following the incident. The deceased are Mr Avhatakali Nethononda (30), Farisani Mathuli (30), Miss Takalani Gundula (18), Mr Given Tshishoti (30) and Mr Mpho Ramathuthu (26).

Mathuli of Khubvi village, Nethononda from Tshitereke and Gundula from Makonde were active participants in the youth activities of the Thulamela Municipality. Amongst other positions, Nethononda was the secretary of Thulamela Youth Council, secretary of Thohoyandou Youth Leaders Against Crime, chairperson of the Khadzinge ANCYL Branch, the chairperson of Phiriphiri ANCYL Zonal Structure, organizer of the Alpheus Malivha District Young Communist League, secretary of Tshivhase Crisis Youth Committee, deputy chairperson of the Tshitereke Tribal Authority Council, member of Vhembe District Youth Council, and former president of Tshivhase High School and Pretoria West College Student Representative Councils.

Mathuli was a Community Development Worker (CDW) within the Thulamela Municipality and he was a member of the Khwathelani Branch of the ANCYL, ex-officio member of the Thulamela Youth Council, secretary of Thulamela Moral Regeneration Movement, member of the Ward Committee for ward 15 of the Thulamela Municipality and coordinator of Khubvi CPF.

He was also secretary of the Khwathelani Branch of the Young Communist League of South Africa and member of the Thulamela Youth Farmers Association.

Gundula was a member of the ANC Vhumbedzi branch, member of the ANCYL Vhumbedzi branch and Branch Executive Committee Member of the Young Communist League of the Vhumbedzi Branch.

The youths were coming from the Thulamala Municipality Youth Summit at Khalavha village, when the sedan in which they were traveling collided head-on with a mini bus. Both occupants of the sedan, including the three youths and their driver, died at the scene, whereas one passenger from the minibus later died while receiving medical treatment at the hospital. The minibus was ferrying 15 passengers, of which nine were treated and discharged and the remaining six are still receiving treatment at the hospital.

The grieving Mayor of Thulamela Municipality, Khosi Thivhulawi Makumbane, was shocked about the sudden death of the youths. "This is a terrible blow to our municipality and the whole South African nation because we were still expecting great things from the deceased youth leaders. They died in the line of duty while trying to uplift the youth within our municipality. Thulamela Municipality is weeping and we send our condolences to the families, friends and co-workers of the deceased. They did not die in vain because we will always remember them because of their works."