A moving ceremony saw friends and family from across the city saying goodbye on Wednesday to 23-year-old Jason Coetzee, who was killed in a car crash last week.
Mourners at the Westview Methodist Church in Wierda Park described him as a man who was a ‘brother’ to many.
More than 300 friends and family members turned up to pay their last respects.
Jason was killed in a crash on Friday about 23:00. He was driving his business bakkie on Friday when he collided with the rear of a large delivery truck on the R21 in Erasmuspark around 23:00.
Paramedics rushed to the scene, but could do nothing for him and he was declared dead on the scene.
The family asked Phillip Phillips’ song ‘Gone Gone Gone’ be played. The lyrics say “I’ll love you long after you’re gone”.
His brother, Anton, said this was a difficult time for his family as well as friends.
“To my boetie: Thank you for being a part of our lives. You will be sorely missed by everyone you knew and whose lives you touched. It hurts so much to say goodbye, but I will always remember all the mischief we got up to. I know I can say that I will see you again.”
During the ceremony, everyone was given the opportunity to light a candle.
Pastor Phillip Sharp sought to console the mourners, saying: “Along with the heartbreak, we celebrate Jason’s life. We are thankful for the time he was given, although 23 years feels too short. Jason lived life to the full, and those memories each and every one has of him can never be taken away.”
After the funeral, a ’23 balloon salute’ was staged as the hearse left the church ground.
Twenty-three of Jason’s first team rugby teammates from his matric year at Sutherland High School attended the funeral. Dressed in their team shirts, they let 23 red balloons go up in the air, saying goodbye to their friend.
Hundreds of friends and family members also posted messages of condolences and farewell on Facebook.
Anton earlier said: “Jason was a kind, gentle and hardworking man. The recent outpour of support from his friends shows that he was a brother to every person that knew him.”
On Sunday, another 23-year-old Centurion resident, Armandt Pryor, was killed in a crash in Lyttelton. He had been a rugby player who enjoyed success in Europe.
Pryor has reportedly returned to South Africa to be with his girlfriend, who was due to give birth to their son next month.
Read: Man dies in R21 accident
Young accident victim a brother to many
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