picture: Jacques Naude
Refano lost 14 pupils and a general worker in the blaze, and its principal Lucia Xolo said: “I am so frustrated and confused; and I believe that the devil himself planned this very well. The worst part is that most of these children were my best pupils.”
Xolo said the dead pupils were from all grades, excluding Grade 2. “This is a horrible time for the school and it is going to be difficult to brief other pupils at the school today.
“I don’t know what it will be like when we get to school, I don’t know how I am going to explain this situation to my pupils,” she said.
Not only did Xolo lose her pupils, but also her best general worker.
Crying uncontrollably, she said that when she heard about the accident from her neighbour Pretty Mguni, she prayed her children were not in it.
Mguni was the one who listened as the names of pupils who survived was read out while Phoswa waited in the car. When she heard there were survivors, she prayed that at least one of her children was among them. Mguni then had to tell Phoswa her children had not made it.
The mother of six wept uncontrollably as she recalled that her sons had been reluctant to leave for school that morning. “I just dismissed that and instead promised to cook them a delicious meal.”
She said the younger one kept on glancing back as he walked towards the minibus, which was unusual. They attended Refano.
Max Mayisela, who lost three children, said: “The gap they have left in my life and family will never be filled. My kids were very close to each other and they loved school. I loved them so much. I will always miss them. This is one of the most difficult times for us as a family.”
Mayisela’s two sons Thapelo, 15, and Sibusiso, 9, and daughter Nokuthula, 8, were among the dead.
The Verena village resident said what he had liked most about his children was that they always stood up for each other. He said the crash had robbed him of a chance to care for and educate them until they became adults.
He appealed to the government to amend road traffic laws to reduce road accidents. “I last saw them on Friday morning when they went to school. They were happy. I could not believe it when I heard later in the afternoon that they all had died. The government must introduce programmes to improve skills of drivers.”
