Family finally gets closure

Last Saturday saw a number of families around the country laying to rest remains of their loved ones who lost their lives in a tragic collapse of a guest house belonging to the Synagogue Church of All Nations in Lagos, Nigeria, killing 116.

Among them were 81 South Africans.

The Sibanyoni family of Ermelo buried a family member, Mr Mandla Jacob Sibanyoni.

The family representative, Mr Henry Sibanyoni, said the deceased and his wife had visited Bishop TB Joshua’s church. It was his wife’s second and his first visit.

Similar to other families, the Sibanyoni family was not allowed to view the remains of the deceased. Mr Sibanyoni said they had enough time to deal with the situation, as they were informed a while ago of the possibility.

In a telephonic interview with the deceased wife, Ms Phindile Sibanyoni, she said she was struggling to come to terms with her loss, as her husband was her everything. She also mentioned that not being able to see him for the last time was distressing.

“It was painful to see his remains in a bag, that I couldn’t even touch, but only view through windows for health reasons,” explained Ms Sibanyoni.

When asked how her husband was identified, she said his blood samples were compared to his parents’ DNA.

The Sibanyoni family grappled with reality as the coffin of Mandla Sibanyoni was lowered.

Friends, colleagues and family members of the couple came out in numbers to pay their final respects to the deceased.

Ms Sibanyoni concluded by saying she would cherish photos of her husband and the memories she has of the good times they spent together, while maintaining her faith in the Creator.