The Modiboas will enjoy Christmas together as a family in spite of them burying a ‘family member’ not long ago.
The Herald published their story that seems stranger than fiction two weeks ago.
The family from Greenfield had reported 31-year-old Thomas Lebotse as a missing person a few months ago. After two months, a forensic official called to say that an unknown man in the mortuary may be their relative. They could only recognise the badly decomposed body by items of clothing he was wearing. They laid the deceased to rest on spring day even though a DNA test was never conducted.
Last Monday, however, the family’s neighbour noticed an interesting photo that a nursing sister from Heilbron Hospital had posted on Facebook. She was looking for the family of a patient from Potchefstroom. The woman alerted the next of kin at 18:00 on Tuesday and, last Thursday, the Modiboas were finally reunited with Thomas.
But how did it come about that the mistaken identity ever happened?
Tina Modiboa shared what her mentally-handicapped brother had told the family. According to him, he had found himself in Parys and could not find his way home. ‘He jumped out of a tree and into a moving coal train thinking it was going to Potchefstroom. In fact, it was heading for Heilbron and Thomas later found himself on the streets of a strange town,’ she says.
It was not long before he had made a friend. The two of them caught the attention of a good samaritan who gave Thomas some clean clothes after noticing how dirty his were. The friend, whose clothes were torn, persuaded Thomas to give him his old ones because they were in better condition than his own.
A passerby later realised that Thomas is mentally challenged and took him to the Heilbron hospital. It is not clear what happened to the friend or how he died, but he was wearing Thomas’s clothes when he landed up in the mortuary.
Thomas’s mother, 70-year-old Catherine Masilonyana is elated to have her ‘own son’ back. ‘My heart is at peace,’ she said.
Unfortunately, the Herald could not speak to Thomas because he was out working. The family says he wakes up at 06:00 and starts collecting recyclable items in the streets for recycling. He only comes back home late at night.
The Modiboas plan to have a small braai this Christmas to welcome their long lost son. His nephew, Lebogang Modiboa says he is very happy that his uncle will be with them this Christmas