Drowning: LYC cuts trip short

Emotions ran high on Sunday afternoon when the members of the Limpopo Youth orchestra visited Daniel Modiba’s mother, Martha following his tragic death in Dakar, Senegal.

Daniel (19) from Ga-Kama village outside Mankweng was a trumpeter and member of the orchestra. Last Tuesday night, he drowned in the swimming pool of the hotel where they were residing during a tour of Senegal.

Each member of the orchestra had an opportunity to comfort with hugs and words of encouragement. Some of the members cried with her. Some of the members’ parents who accompanied them on the visit, cried with Martha as they tried to comfort her.

The orchestra was invited by the South African embassy in Dakar to perform in Senegal’s 20 years of democracy celebration. The orchestra left last Monday, but returned on Thursday after Daniel’s death.

Simoné Aronje-Adetoye, managing director of the Limpopo Youth Orchestra said the South African embassy, with the support of the Senegal government cancelled their concert, in light of the tragedy.

“We had a tribute concert on Wednesday and the children played like angels. Ambassadors from different countries, and different religious ministers attended the tribute concert. We have lost not only a remarkable trumpeter, but a son, brother and great friend. We will miss Daniel very much,” Aronje-Adetoye said with tears in her eyes.

This is what some of the orchestra members had to say about Daniel:

“Daniel loved his culture and he was a very jokey person. He made it his mission in life to make a person laugh,” Naphy Makwela (21) said.

Tumelo Motimele (14) said Daniel was like a brother to her. “He was a very caring person and when a person is down he did everything possible to make you smile.”

Andries Makgoba (20) shared a room with Daniel while they were visiting Senegal and he said they grew up in the same village. “Around him you would never feel down. He was fun to be around and a very stubborn person. According to him, he was always right. My last memory of him was that we overslept the morning we were supposed to go to the embassy house for a briefing. The bus left without us and we had to take a taxi. Daniel was so scared, because he did not want to be on Simoné’s bad side,” Makgoba said.

Bafana Baloyi, conductor of the Limpopo Youth Orchestra said Daniel loved joking around.

“Daniel used to call me ‘Meneer, Sir’. When they did something wrong I would get angry and shout at them, but Daniel would always smile and make a comment that would make me forget I was angry at them. He was a cool guy and an amazing trumpeter. I would be strict with him if he did not do things right and he would go home, practise and come back to play his part perfectly.”

The group remembers Daniel as someone who loved his food and he always ate chicken as he did not like beef.

The family was very emotional and thanked the orchestra for their support and visit.

“It is good to know that we have so much support. I am fine, I went to see a psychologist and everything is well,” his mother Martha said.

Daniel leaves behind his mother, two brothers and two sisters.

A memorial service for Daniel will be held at N.G. Kerk Pietersburg-Oos in Betz Street at 10:00 on Friday morning.