‘We have to stay strong for mom’

A horrific multi-vehicle crash on the old Witbank road on Monday left four families mourning the loss of their loved ones.

The crash occurred when a truck slammed into a railway bridge and burst into flames, reportedly after its brakes failed.

The Observer managed to contact three families in mourning and facing uncertain futures.

An employee at Phambili Recycling Company, Sakkie Mthisi lost his life in the accident while he was driving his company vehicle.

Beyond his job, Sakkie was a respected community leader, serving as a bishop at the Greenland Christian Ministry in Sifunindlela, KaBokweni.

He lived in KaBokweni, outside Mbombela, with his wife, Nomsa Mthisi, and their five children, three boys and two girls.

According to his youngest son, Nkosikhona Mthisi, he rented a place in Mhluzi to be closer to his job.

Nkosikhona shared the family’s heartbreak, “He was our breadwinner. Every month-end, we knew he would come home or send money for food and clothes. Now that he is gone, our mother doesn’t know how she will take care of the family; we relied on him. And now, as his children, we have to stay strong for her. If we show weakness, she just cries.”

Nkosikhona said the family learned of the tragedy when a friend in Middelburg spotted Sakkie’s company car at the crash scene and called Nkosikhona.

“After seeing a photo of the car wreck, we contacted my dad’s employer, who rushed to the scene and confirmed the heartbreaking news,” he said.

Nkosikhona noted that the family is currently meeting to finalise funeral arrangements, and Sakkie will be laid to rest tomorrow.

The Sibande-Nene family is mourning the sudden loss of a loving mother, Nozipho Sibande-Nene, who also passed away at the scene in the same accident.

Her eldest daughter, Nonjabulo Shabangu, said that the family saw photos of the horrific accident trending on social media on Monday, but they had no idea their mother was involved.

Nonjabulo said the younger children waited up for their mother until late that evening, only for a colleague to arrive and break the tragic news.

“Later, my cousin called me to confirm that my mother had passed away. My mother was our sole provider and was always there for us; just imagine, four of my siblings are still very young,” she said.

She said that her younger siblings are not coping, and their grandmother is also taking the news very badly.

“Our biggest challenge now is that the kids lived with my mother. They no longer have a guardian, and we don’t know what will happen to them after the funeral. I stay in Machadodorp with my grandmother.”

Nonjabulo said her family has only been able to recover her mother’s work lunch bag from the scene.

Nozipho leaves behind her mother and six children, the youngest aged nine years old.

Funeral arrangements for Nozipho are underway as she will be laid to rest today.

Jaco Nel, a 30-year-old beloved husband, was also killed during the accident, leaving behind his wife and three children.

Jaco’s foster mother, Charmaine Coetzee, expressed the family’s profound grief, describing an ‘emptiness that words cannot describe’.

He leaves behind his wife, Veruscka, and three young children, aged six, three, and seven months, alongside his biological mother, foster parents, and a brother who is currently travelling from Australia to support the family.

Despite their immense grief, the Nel family extends their prayers to the injured victims and offers sincere condolences to the families of the other three victims.

They also expressed deep gratitude to the emergency services and recovery teams, noting that the clean-up crew went above and beyond to locate and return Jaco’s missing cellphone.

The fourth victim has been identified, but Observer is waiting for the family to respond.

To read more about the R555 accident, get your copy of this week’s Observer.