08 Aug 2022

Four of the 16 people who died in a road mishap near Mafhungo/Hubona along A3 rood on July 21 were laid to rest in Maitengwe, Nkange and Francistown on Saturday.

Those laid to rest in Maitengwe were Mr Lucky Ndiwenyu (43) who was a mini bus driver and Mr Bopelo Sabata (33) as well as 29-year-old Mr Sydney Balisi of Nkange.

At Mr Ndiwenyu’s funeral, Mr Gibson Ndiwenyu commended government for the support that the family received at the hour of need.

He said families were left devastated following this horrific road accident.

Mr Gibson Ndiwenyu, however, decried use of social media platforms by some Batswana who published sensitive pictures of the accident scene before next of kin and affected people could be notified.

He called for action against perpetrators.

Kgosi Shadrack Mphala-Mengwe shared similar sentiments on misuse of social media.

He said botho and respect for the affected should apply at every scenario no matter how interesting it might be to the person capturing pictures of an incident.

He told residents to desist from such acts.

“Let us respect the deceased and their families,” he said.

Kgosi Mphala-Mengwe assured families of the departed that government would support them accordingly.

Maitengwe Combi Association chairperson, Mr Mbiro Khanda, urged government to expedite maintenance of roads.

He said A3 and Tutume/Maitengwe roads were in bad state and needed to be attended to before more lives were lost.

He said the roads had long reached their lifespan.

Furthermore, he said they had lost a member in Mr Lucky Ndiwenyu and would never find anyone like him; a person loved by all,.

“He will forever be remembered for his botho and love,” Mr Khanda said.

Mr Lucky Ndiwenyu is survived by his mother, four siblings and four children.  

In Francistown, Mr Mokhululi Moffat’s friends and well-wishers joined his grieving family at Block 2 where speakers described the deceased as a hardworking and God fearing person.

He worked for Tati Nickel Mine before joining Kopano Copper Mine as a boiler maker until his death.

A friend, Mr Thapelo Mosweu described the deceased as an adorable person whose love for those around him and was envied by many.

He said the Moffat was always a present father who loved his wife and children.

He told mourners that what hurts most was that he left behind a young wife who had hoped to grow old together.

An employee of Tati Nickel Mine and also the deceased supervisor, Mr Thatayotlhe Mpule, described Mr Moffat’s as a versatile individual who loved his work and new challenges at work.

“When we met at Tati Nickel Mine, I immediately discovered that Mr Moffat was a jolly person who would interact with other employees with easy,” he added.

Mr Mpule also said the deceased loved his family and was not an absent father no matter what, adding that he also loved fashion.

He said the company had lost a loyal and hardworking employee, adding Mr Moffat was a cut above the rest.

Old Apostolic Church Evangelists’ Moruti Johnson Mokgadi said the deceased and wife were still young and had a bright future looking at achievements they had made as a couple.

He said the couple were committed to the church.

“What happened is God’s will. We just have to understand and accept things we cannot change,” he said, urging Ms Moffat and children not to despair, but to look to God for everything.

The late Moffat was born in Francistown and completed primary education at Phase 1V Primary School in 1994, then Donga JSS from 1995-1996 and from 2008-2009 completed Trade B at Palapye Technical College.

He worked for Tati Nickel mine in Francistown in 2002 as a boiler maker.

He also worked for Botswana Ash, Jwaneng Debswana Mine, Khoemocae, Lightreal Engineering Solutions before joining Kopano Copper Mine.

He is survived by his wife Tiroyamodimo, three children, his mother and three siblings.

Meanwhile, the six accident victims still hospitalised at Nyangabgwe Referral Hospital are said to be stable though some remain in and out of critical condition(s).

Nyangabgwe public relations officer, Ms Wada Pedzani, said in an interview that ‘new information suggests that some were critical whilst others were in stable condition’.

A woman who lost her five-year-old child during the accident was reporterd to be recovering and in stable condition though it was not clear at the time of going to press whether she was released to attend the funeral of her child in Tutume or not.

The hospital also indicated that one of the drivers hospitalised at Tati River Hospital with critical conditions had been transferred back to Nyangabgwe Referral Hospital Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and remained critical. ENDS