MBOMBELA – After over two months of waiting, grief stricken families of the Nigeria church collapse victims will probably put the whole ordeal to rest.

The 23 victims were remembered during a memorial service hosted by the Mpumalanga government on Monday at the provincial disaster management centre.

Of the 23 victims, only 18 were brought back, and the national government has committed to help bring back the remaining bodies.

Addressing the mourners,Premier David Mabuza, acknowledged that this was a difficult moment for the whole province and appreciated the families’ courage to be able to stand even when the situation is this tough.

“First of all I want to send my condolences to the families and friends who lost their loved ones and I commend them for their patience that they have displayed while the national government was working tirelessly to bring back the mortal remains at home.

Now, we are starting a new journey and as the provincial government we will support the families throughout their journey as we have already started with providing them with counselling because we know that they are traumatised, ” Mabuza said,holding back tears.

Emotions ran very high when the Director General read out the names of all the victims with emotional family members weeping uncontrollably.

Read more in Mpumalanga News’ Thursday’s print edition.

See pictures of taken at the memorial service here