Durban — In an attempt to heal their wounds of the loss of their children in a horrible accident last month, the Zululand District Municipality has hired 15 family members as road safety assistants to help children cross the deadly N2 stretch in Pongola, northern KZN.
Mayor Thulasizwe Buthelezi made the announcement during the prayer that was held at the local sports field in Pongola on Thursday.
Introducing the recruited workers, the mayor said his municipality wanted to help heal the wounds and also bring hope to the families that lost their children.
He said they would be trained by traffic officers on road safety and would play a big role in ensuring that the terrible accident does not happen again.
Nonhlanhla Shangase, who lost her three children, said though she was still finding it difficult to accept that she would never see her children again, she appreciated that the municipality's help would go a long way in helping them find closure. She lost her 7-year-old twins and a 10-year-old who were among the 20 pupils being transported in the bakkie.
Namile Mamba, who also lost her child, said she was making a living with her two children’s grants but after the death of one of the children, she was left with one child grant.
She said that though she was still feeling the pain, she was happy that through her child’s death she would be able to continue putting food on the table for her remaining child and contribute to the safety of her child’s school mates.
The event was also attended by IFP president Velenkosini Hlabisa who said he was shocked and saddened when he received the news and watched the video clip of the long-haul truck wiping out 20 innocent young souls.
Meanwhile, KZN Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube, accompanied by transport MEC Sipho Hlomuka, would also visit the families on Friday to follow up on a social relief programme that the government had announced before and during the funeral. The premier and the MEC are expected to hold public engagements with the community designed to find a way to curb accidents in the area.
Daily News