The Ndala siblings who were murdered, allegedly by their mother's lover, were given an emotional sendoff with hundreds in attendance yesterday.
Community members came in their numbers to support the Ndala family as they bade farewell to Thabang, 11, Amogelang, 3, and Lebogang, 2. The siblings were found hanging in Tebogo Mojutu's bedroom in Soshanguve, north of Pretoria, on Tuesday.
Mojutu, 28, committed suicide by also hanging himself on the same day.
He had apparently told Ndala before killing the children that he would kill them and himself as he did not want the children to suffer when he was gone.
Lebogang was the couple's only child. Ndala, 27, had Thabang and Amogelang from previous relationships.
A visibly shaken Ndala was comforted by family members throughout the funeral service which took hours yesterday.
Ndala told Sowetan after the funeral she was "doing fine" and that she had been booked for counselling.
A decent sendoff for murdered siblings
The Ndala siblings who were murdered, allegedly by their mother's lover, were given an emotional sendoff with hundreds in attendance yesterday.
Community members came in their numbers to support the Ndala family as they bade farewell to Thabang, 11, Amogelang, 3, and Lebogang, 2. The siblings were found hanging in Tebogo Mojutu's bedroom in Soshanguve, north of Pretoria, on Tuesday.
Mojutu, 28, committed suicide by also hanging himself on the same day.
He had apparently told Ndala before killing the children that he would kill them and himself as he did not want the children to suffer when he was gone.
Lebogang was the couple's only child. Ndala, 27, had Thabang and Amogelang from previous relationships.
A visibly shaken Ndala was comforted by family members throughout the funeral service which took hours yesterday.
Ndala told Sowetan after the funeral she was "doing fine" and that she had been booked for counselling.
"I have been booked for counselling on Thursday; social workers will be coming," she said.
The graves of the three siblings were laid in a straight line with one behind the other with Lebogang's grave in the middle.
They all had wreaths slightly buried into the moist heaps of sand.
The Tshwane metro made buses available to ferry mourners from the Ndala home in Soshanguve Block FF to the Winterveldt Cemetery.
The municipality also made the three graves available to the family without any payment.
Local councillor Elisa Mlotshwa, who spoke at the graveyard, standing next to the three fresh graves, thanked the community for giving the family support during their time of need.
She told the mourners the support shown to the family by the community and local businesses that donated groceries was amazing.
"The support we received was just amazing... taking into consideration that there are no elders in that household and nobody is employed," Ndala said. Mlotshwa also thanked Rhulani Math Funerals for offering its services, including three coffins, storage and transport, for free.
The owner of the funeral home, Jan Bob Mathembe, told Sowetan he felt obliged to assist the Ndalas during such a trying period.
"We are operating in the area where the family lives; we feel [the] responsibility to also plough back... especially when the family is unable to afford the funeral," Mathembe said yesterday.