KZN Miracle Baby’s Family Moved by Outpouring Following Burial of 6 Relatives Killed in N3 Tragedy
- The surviving relatives of the six who died in the N3 Van Reenen's Pass tragedy earlier in January have broken their silence
- A 17-month-old toddler, dubbed the miracle baby, Luyanda Sigubudu, was the only one to survive and spent 10 days in a hospital
- The KwaZulu-Natal Transport and Human Settlements Department organised a mass burial for the family in Nquthu on 18 January
- A next-of-kin, Sanelisiwe Sigubudu, spoke exclusively to Briefly News and expressed her family's gratitude for the outpouring
- MEC Siboniso Duma told Briefly News efforts to assist the family would continue, including calling on private-sector support
Source: Original
NQUTHU — The surviving family of Baby Luyanda Sigubudu, 1, whose six relatives were killed in a horrific accident on the N3 Van Reenen's Pass, have been left devastated by the tragedy.
A mass funeral was held for grandparents Lindeni Sigubudu, and Sihle Magoda, and younger Magoda relations, Bongiswa, 16, Vuyiswa, 13, and twins Sfanelesbonge and Fanelesbonge, 9, in Nquthu on Saturday, 18 January 2025.
Generosity flows for N3 tragedy family
They were among 17 people who died in the horrific crash on Monday, 6 January when the taxi they were travelling in crashed head-on into a truck.
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Dashcam footage recorded at about 8.30pm on the night showed the minibus veering across the wet road as it lost control.
The taxi was reportedly heading to Durban from Johannesburg while the truck travelled southbound in the opposite direction.
The only survivor, a 17-month-old dubbed miracle baby, Luyanda Sigubudu, was discharged from hospital after 10 days on 16 January and reunited with her mother, Nqobile, 19.
The KwaZulu-Natal Transport and Human Settlements Department held the mass burial two days later. Speaking exclusively to Briefly News, Sanelisiwe Sigubudu expressed her family's gratitude.
"We'd like to the Member of the Executive Council (MEC) Siboniso Duma and his department for ensuring our loved ones received dignified burials, and for rebuilding our home," said Sanelisiwe.
Source: Original
This was after heavy rainfall in KZN had destroyed their home.
"[Covered], we could prepare for the funerals and ensured we were able to pack groceries and other things away as the previous structure had crumbled.
"We're grateful for finding Luyanda with clothes when we went to fetch her from the hospital. Should anyone still want to donate to her, we would appreciate it. Ultimately, we thank everyone who came to the funerals and for the support they showed," added Sanelisiwe.
Duma told Briefly News his department had offered to be closer to the family and would continue with efforts to assist them, especially Baby Luyanda.
"We [plan to] approach the private sector to ensure that her needs, especially education and health, are taken care of.
"Importantly, we thank religious leaders, neighbours and community leaders who worked with the department."
In response to the tragedy, he said a main target would be to create awareness around the importance of road safety.
"We will also announce measures that we will be putting in place to ensure the safety of motorists [travelling] on [the] Van Reenen's Pass."
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Source: Briefly News
