The Mangwale family in Ga-Mashashane, outside Polokwane in Limpopo, say they are still trying to get to terms with the death of their son, who died with 16 others in a crash in Mookgophong two weeks ago.
Sixteen-year-old Clifford Mangwale was among the 16 people who were burnt beyond recognition when the minibus they were travelling in caught fire after colliding with another car on the N1. The driver of the sedan also died on impact.
The families of the victims received the remains of their loved ones, after DNA confirmation yesterday.
Mangwale’s paternal aunt, Juliet Malatji says it has been an emotional journey to wait for their son’s remains.
“We are badly hurt as the family. We are so emotional and we can’t even sleep at night when we think about this incident. We ask ourselves, what wrong we have done to deserve this about the child. We are so hurt and we don’t have peace. The fact that he got burnt, hurt us so much.”
A tweet from the day of the accident:
12 people have been killed and eight others injured when a 22 bus seater collided head-on with an SUV on the N1 near Mookgophong in Limpopo. The deceased are eleven 22 seater passengers who were burnt to death and the driver of an SUV. Eight passengers were rescued.#sabcnews
— Jabulani Baloi (@jabulanibaloi) January 11, 2022
She also described the teenager as an energetic boy who loved sports, and that he had a promising future.
“He was always happy and he loved soccer. We have more questions than answers. The village has been waiting for him, to represent them in soccer, unfortunately, he is no more. I wonder how his peers are going to cope. At first, it was like a joke, but when I saw his remains, that’s when I started to face reality.
