Mourners from around the province witnessed the mass funeral of five young people who died in an accident last Friday night when their car collided with a Phadziri bus.

The mass funeral was held at the Luvhivhini High School grounds at Maebane from where the mourners proceeded to the cemetery on Saturday. It was also a sad reminder of April 25, 2005, when nine workers died when a Phadziri bus and a train collided near the village.

The five young people who were buried on Saturday are Dennis Thamaha (20), Mavhungu Ratshilingana (24), Jonas Rasimphi (25), Percy Modyadibe (26) and Aroon Mutshinya(29).

Chief Fhumulani Kutama expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and said they would be sorely missed. Kutama said the community members around the Kutama area were deeply touched by the horror of the accident, especially as the victims were still so young. "The family members of the victims need our support in hard times like these and we hope accidents of this nature, which can be prevented, will never again take place on our roads," he said.

Mr Wilson Mathoma, educator at Luvhivhini High, said they came there to bury soldiers. "We sadly accept their deaths, but we console ourselves by the achievements they accomplished in their short lives. We do not dwell on the years lived, but we invest in the quality of life lived, no matter how short it was. We do not have proper words to explain how they will be missed. May their souls rest in peace," he said.

A family representative, Mr Petrus Tshivhenga, told mourners that the families had accepted the loss although it was difficult to cope with it. "We understand and accept that our beloved children are gone, but it will be very difficult for us to live without them. However, it is also important to acknowledge the community´s support since we were greeted with the bad news. God has done His will and there is nothing we can do because the situation is irreversible," he said.