GALLERY: Mass funeral for Maphalle victims
An emotional service was held for the 21 youths who tragically lost their lives while in celebration of June 16.
Twenty one of the 24 perished youths were laid to rest in a mass funeral last Saturday.
This following the tragedy that occurred in the late hours of Sunday, June 16 on the R81 to Ga-Maphalle village.
ALSO READ: 24 people killed in local horror crash
The head-on collision between a bus and a minibus taxi that claimed the lives of 24 youths and injured four people resulted in national outcry, calling for motorists to be more cautions and adhere to road safety rules.
The emotional funeral service was held at the Ga-Rapitsi Sports Ground in Ga-Kgapane, which saw the attendance of dignitaries such as the minister of Transport, Fikile Mbalula, Deputy Minister of Transport, Dikeledi Magadzi, Limpopo MEC of Transport and Community Safety, Dickson Masemola who was also the programme director at the service, the Executive Mayor of the Mopani District, Pule Shayi and the Mayor of the Greater Letaba Municipality, Peter Matlou, to list but a few.
Friends, co-workers, teachers and the community at large came out in their numbers to help show support to the families of the perished youth that were being laid to rest on the day.
Emotions ran high as the coffins of the deceased were being taken from the hearses and being lined up in the tent just before the service started. Three of the 24 families had requested to hold funeral services for their loved ones privately.
ALSO READ: The 24 youngsters made a deadly choice when they changed taxis for better music
Speaking at the funeral service, the Minister of Transport, Fikile Mbalula urged compliance from all members of the public and motorists at large to pay attention to road regulations.
He further stated to the bereaved families that they should take heart and find comfort from having many people come out to support them.
“When someone does what they have been employed to do, they need not be thanked for that because it is their job. We as the government have been here and we are still here to do our job in helping our societies and we do not need to be thanked for that, it is our duty. To the families of the young people who will be laid to rest today, I ask that you find comfort. We have lost so many people whom we expected so much from, but tragedy strikes in unexpected ways,” Mbalula exclaimed.
Friends, who were also schoolmates of some of the 21 perished youths couldn’t hold back their tears as they saw their friends’ coffins in front of them.
ALSO READ: #Maphalle24: Perished youths’ memorial service underway
When the service ended and the families were taking their loved ones to bury them, three of the 21 had their coffins carried out of the tent and back into the hearses in song by their soccer mates.
“The most painful thing about this funeral isn’t that so many people died, but the fact that the majority of them were still so young and had so much to look forward to in their lives,” stated Limpopo MEC of Transport and Community Safety, Dickson Masemola.
It was said at the service that the eldest victim of this fatal crash was born in 1992 while the youngest victim was born in 2006.
The perished were laid to rest at three cemeteries around Ga-Rapitsi, Mamphakathi and Bodupe villages in Bolobedu.
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