01 Apr 2024

As Mr Phillip Sebifo, Secretary of the St. Egenas church in Molepolole, addressed the small congregation outside the church premises on Saturday afternoon, the sadness was palpable.  

The audience was hushed, listening intently to every word as he spoke of the tragedy.  

They had gathered to hear firsthand accounts of the ordeal from those who had been in South Africa when tragedy struck, seeking a sense of closure, a way to make sense of the events that had occurred.  

Mr Sebifo began by describing the journey of the congregants, who had left Molepolole on Wednesday evening around 10pm and spent the night at the Pasolt/Makwate Border Gate in Botswana.  

They had hoped to be among the first to register and cross the border when it opened at 6am the next day.  

He said the registration process had gone smoothly, and that there had been no issues or incidents.

He said after crossing the border into South Africa, the bus carrying the congregants separated from the rest of the convoy and lost direction.  He said it travelled down the long and winding route leading to Mokopane, eventually arriving at the infamous Mmamatlakala bridge, where the tragic accident occured.

According to Mr Sebifo, the South African authorities informed them that the bus driver had lost control of the vehicle as he was driving down the steep slope of the bridge.  

The bus is said to have veered off the road and collided with the side of the bridge, which caused the bus to topple over the side of the bridge, falling into the rocky terrain below.  

Mr Sebifo went on to say that authorities believed that the bus landed nose first, causing the engine to explode and ignite a fire that engulfed the vehicle.

The crash was sudden and devastating, leaving no time for the occupants to react or escape.

The only survivor of the crash is an eight-year-old girl, who sustained injuries on her arm and  head.  

Mr. Sebifo reported that the girl was recovering well at the hospital, with her mother and father reportedly having travelled to South to be by her side.

He further revealed that they had been able to negotiate with the authorities to view the bodies of the victims on Friday.  

He said they were able to identify nine of the bodies with the rest  charred and unrecognisable.  

He also mentioned that they were allowed to visit the site of the crash describing the scene as gruesome and heart-wrenching.

While reeling from the shock and grief of the tragedy the church members expressed their gratitude to the church leadership for keeping them informed and for working to help the families accept the loss and heal.  

They were particularly thankful for the efforts being made to support those who had lost loved ones and to help prepare for the funeral and burial arrangements.

A total of 97 congregants had left Molepolole for the Moria pilgrimage, with 84 of them being adults and six being children. 45 of them were on the ill-fated bus, while 14 were on a mini bus and the remaining 38 were in nine different cars.  

The Molepolole church branch has a membership of over 200 people. Ends