Harrowing tragedy robs SA of young talent

In rural parts of the province which are starved of success stories, sports provides an escape to many young people and adults.

The hundreds of netball-loving young women who headed to the Western Cape with excitement last weekend and their loved ones were imbued with the same joy.

Tragically, a dark cloud hovered over the Spar netball championships, which kicked off at the Hoërskool DF Malan in Bellville, Cape Town, on Monday.

A devastating bus crash near Aberdeen on Sunday morning claimed the lives of coach Nocamagu Mvunyiswa, 43, and players Phelo Onele Charles, 30, Thabisile Maxikixa, 20, and Indiphile Mfengu,17.

They were part of the Under 21 and senior teams from the OR Tambo district heading to the Cape to compete in the championships.

Imagine the jubilant songs sung by the women on the bus on their way to give their all on the netball court in the hope of victory.

No-one could have imagined a beautiful Sunday ending in the harrowing tragedy that claimed the lives of four women with promising futures in the sport.

In all, 25 netball players were injured.

About 600 players and members of technical teams left the Eastern Cape for Cape Town.

Confirmation of the tragedy sent shock waves across the country, leaving families, friends and sport lovers heartbroken.

Mfengu, the youngest player in the team, had been excited about playing on the national stage for the first time, her family said.

They described the grade 11 pupil from Khanyisa Private School in Mthatha as overly dedicated to making them proud of her.

“When we kept calling, we were told she was in hospital. Her death was sudden,” her cousin Sive Thupha said.

Before the accident, the youngster had kept updating her family via WhatsApp that the players were safe.

Loyiso Madwantsi described receiving news of her cousin Charles's death as shocking.

“We believed it when we went to see her at the forensic pathology [unit] that she was no more,” Madwantsi said.

Charles, who had been working at First National Bank, was mother to a three-year-old. Her father died recently.

Mvunyiswa was mother to a 23-year-old and grandmother of a six-year-old boy.

She worked at the OR Tambo district municipality and buried her mother in December last year.

Maxikixa, from Mbizana, was a Walter Sisulu University student.

“No-one deserves to die but [the way they died] is heartbreaking.

“It is better when someone is sick and you nurse them and pray to God to take them than a person who leaves home laughing and the next morning you hear they are no more,” Madwantsi said.

The victims of the crash were all described as sport fanatics who dedicated their time to improving their talents.

Tragically, the Eastern Cape has recorded numerous bus accidents, including a devastating crash last year that claimed the lives of 25 people. Earlier this year, 31 people died in a bus crash in the Kei Cuttings. 

Social media has been abuzz with questions about why the teams were travelling by bus instead of plane.

But sports, recreation, arts & culture deputy minister Nocawe Mfazi, who visited the grieving families, said that would have been practically impossible.

“Imagine government paying for all those children to board planes.

“That would mean taking from the money that is meant to help develop sport.

“What we can ensure as government and sports people is that when children travel, the vehicles they are in are in good condition and they are all safe.”

The tragedy has taken loved ones from their families and robbed the sports fraternity of talent.

It is up to the powers that be to ensure that public transport is up standard and that sports receive the necessary support.

A memorial service for the four will be held next week.