Local assistant teacher safely returns to SA after war breaks out in Ukraine

A Grade R assistant teacher from Laerskool Lynnwood recently returned to South Africa after being trapped in Reni, Ukraine, since the start of the war in February.

Mari-Alena Potgieter landed in Odessa on Saturday, February 19, four days before the war between Russia and Ukraine broke out, for her brother’s wedding.

The 20-year-old was to return to the country a week after the wedding, but due to the invasion, all flights were cancelled.

“There was talk of a war, but we never thought things would get out of hand,” said Potgieter.

After days of struggling to get out of the country, she boarded a ferry boat with hundreds of refugees on the Danube River across the Romanian border.

“We were trapped on the border for hours because I did not have a visa for Romania. I begged and begged, and finally border patrol officers let me through. I was anxious and scared, but I was relieved and thankful I’m back in the country safely,” she said.

Potgieter was able to fly from Bucharest to O.R. Tambo international airport.

However, she mentioned that she is worried about her family’s safety.

“Cilliers (Mari-Alena’s brother) and his wife went to Odessa for their honeymoon. On the morning of the first attack in the city they woke up, with the floor shaking as the bombs fell around them.

“The hotel where they were staying informed them that they had to evacuate the hotel immediately.

“They went to a bus station, but they struggled to get a bus as everyone tried to flee. In the end, they got a ride back to Reni,” she said.

Potgieter is one of five children. She and one of her brothers live in South Africa.

Her parents have been missionaries in Ukraine for the past 26 years, but she was born in South Africa.

“I informed the school that I could not return as planned, because I knew I had to stay to help the refugees.

“The churches started making food and as the people came through, we handed out water, coffee and food. The cars stood for miles in a row to flee through the border and people were sometimes stranded in their cars for up to five days.

“The stories the refugees tell are captivating. Some of the families had to run into the fields in the middle of the night, with only the clothes they had on their bodies.

“Most of those people have nothing left. You can see the devastation in their eyes.”

Her heart is torn in two for the refugees, and for her family.

“I often talk to my mother in the hope that she will answer every time, but we do not know which village will be targeted next.

“Last week she went to Mykolaiv, a town about 50km from Reni, to hand out food and clothes to refugees and the homeless.”

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The family regularly travelled to South Africa to visit family members.

“My parents visited George in October last year. My father developed pneumonia, and later also tested positive for Covid-19. Two days after he was admitted to hospital, we received the call that he had died.

“His death was unexpected and sudden, but he adored the sea. We realised it was his time. At least he passed away at the place he loved so much.”

Her mother returned to Reni shortly after the funeral as she “has a heart of gold and the Lord told her to go back to look after the children and the people”.

Just before the outbreak of the pandemic in March 2020, Potgieter came to South Africa to start her education degree.

She is currently a third year student at Aros Academy.

“My parents opened a daycare centre for children coming from broken homes at the time and I just always knew I had a great passion for children. I would like to make a difference in every child’s life I touch. Once I finish my studies next year, I plan to go back to Reni, because it’s my home.”

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