Isipingo crash: Heartbreaking stories of loss from memorial for 11 victims

A family rocked by a double tragedy, a daughter called to work at the last minute and a man who left his car at home and decided to take public transport.

These were among the painful stories shared by families about the 11 people who died in the horrific R102 crash in Isipingo. The families, community members, and provincial leaders gathered for a mass prayer and memorial service in uMlazi yesterday. 

The crash involving a taxi and a truck took place on January 29. Raw grief filled King Zwelithini Stadium in uMlazi as the service reopened wounds that were still painfully fresh.

Bheki Mkhize speaking for the family of Teboheng Mkhize, 51, described this as a loss layered upon another tragedy. Just two months earlier, the family had buried their daughter.

“She was working at a factory and was playing a huge role in making sure that we kept the family together. I don’t know where I’m going to get the strength to keep going after this.”

Mkhize, who is a taxi driver, said his wife left behind their 10-year-old son who is now struggling with the loss of a mother he was deeply attached to.

He described his wife as the “rock” and the “glue” that held the family together, explaining that they had only recently decided to live together again after a long period of mourning.

“We have been mourning since last year, and we were staying with our relatives,” he said. “We decided that since we have regained strength, let’s stay together again. We had been staying together for five days when God decided to take her away from us. I have no words to describe the pain.”

For the Sosibo family, the loss of Maqhawe Sosibo, 33, came after days of confusion and fear. Speaking on behalf of the family, Xolile Sosibo said they were still struggling to understand how everything unfolded.

“We were very close. He shared almost everything with me, even when it came to relationship issues,” Sosibo said.

Maqhawe was not meant to be in Isipingo that day. He had taken time off work due to a foot injury and had decided, at the last minute, to use public transport.

“He left his car in the yard and decided to take a taxi very early that morning,” Sosibo said.

When the family could not reach him, panic set in.

“We tried calling him on Thursday and again on Friday, but there was no answer. His phone kept ringing, but no one picked up,” he said. “We went to the police, and they told us to go and check at the mortuary. That’s where we found him.”

Nomusa Mkhize, speaking for the family of Nkululeko Mkhize, 48, described days of uncertainty as relatives searched hospitals, hoping he had survived.

“We delayed in finding him,” she said. “On Monday, our aunt went from hospital to hospital, hoping that he was only injured.”

The family’s fears deepened after a call from his workplace.

“On Tuesday, we got a call saying he had only come in on Thursday and then he was not seen again,” she said. “That is when we realised something was very wrong.”

“He has left his son, Thando, who is only 10 years old,” Mkhize said. “Thando lost his mother when he was still very young, and his father raised him.”

She added that the boy, who now stays with his grandmother, had been very close to his father.

“Now his father’s house is empty, with no one in it,” she said.

For the Ntshangase family, the loss of Zinhle Ntshangase, 33, has shattered long-held hopes.

“Zinhle was our hope in this family,” said Khanyisile Dlamini. “She had plans to rebuild our home, to make a name for herself, and to change our lives.”

The circumstances of the day continue to haunt the family.

“Zinhle was not even supposed to go to work that day, but they called her in and asked her to come. Now she is gone.”

Addressing the media at the memorial service, MEC for Transport and Human Settlements spokesperson Ndabezinhle Sibiya said investigations by SAPS and the Road Traffic Management Corporation were ongoing.

“At this stage, as we indicated, we would allow the investigation that is currently underway to proceed without any side shows,” Sibiya said.

He expressed concern that the owners of the truck involved had not reached out to the bereaved families.

“We are very concerned that the owners of the truck company have not bothered to interact with the families of the victims. All of us are here, close to the families. But the other side is not bothered.”

Sibiya said the department was intensifying road safety efforts across the province, including increased inspections of trucks.

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