One of the bus drivers involved in the horror crash between two buses that claimed 19 lives in Nzhelele was buried at Phiphidi on Friday afternoon.

Hundreds of mourners paid their last respects as Mmbengeni Tshivhase (40), who had worked for the Enos Bus Service as a driver for the past sixteen years, was finally laid to rest at Tshiendeulu (a scared burial place for royals). It emerged during the funeral that Tshivhase was the darling of his passengers who enjoyed his ride daily. Last year he represented Limpopo in Cape Town, after being voted the Driver of the Year. He had never been involved in an accident before and he had won many drivers’ competitions in the past years.

The executive mayor of Vhembe District Municipality, Irene Mutsila, told the mourners that Tshivhase was a diligent driver who was proud of his work. "We heard from his passengers that he would sacrifice everything for his work. They said he would drive them safely, with respect, and was very time conscious. We wish we could have more drivers like him."

Mutsila said the crash has been classified as a national disaster which has turned Vhembe into a weeping zone. "There are times when words and speeches are meaningless. We only have to hold hands and pray so that we can accept what happened. It is very painful because some of the victims have left behind kids as young as six months. Only God knows why it happened this way."

Family representative Vhamusanda Vho-Dzivhuluwani Tshivhase said the family has accepted what happened although they can not cope with the pain of losing their loved one. Friends’ representative Thivhudziswi Madzena said of the late bus driver: "I called him eleven times on his cell phone on the morning of the incident but his phone kept on ringing. I later heard the shocking news of his death and I was shocked, powerless and deeply hurt. We were so close that we used to call each other "Mulamu" and I can’t believe that he is gone. He was like a brother and we will always remember him."

On behalf of the 77-strong workforce of Enos Bus Service, Mr AM Ndwambi said: "We ran short of words to express our pain after the death of one of our hardworking drivers. He worked tirelessly for the development of this company and his contributions will remain for all to see. We have really lost a giant who was always in the forefront of our struggle for better service to our clients. We will miss him dearly."