‘We're trying to be strong': Mthatha pupil's body found two weeks after tragic drowning

News24

24-06-2025

SANDF soldiers recovered the decomposed body of 16-year-old Simbongile Kadeeja Nomntwana from a river.
Ten pupils and two adults died when a school minibus was swept away while crossing a flooded bridge on 10 June - only three children survived.
The Department of Basic Education has pledged R5 000 towards burial costs for each pupil as transport authorities urge caution during extreme weather.
The body of a Mthatha pupil who disappeared after the minibus they were travelling in was swept away while crossing a flooded bridge two weeks ago was recovered by soldiers on Monday.
Simbongile Kadeeja Nomntwana, 16, was with 12 other pupils when their school bus sank while they were travelling to Jumba Senior Secondary in Tabase near Mthatha, Eastern Cape, on 10 June.
Only three pupils, two boys and a girl, survived the drowning by clinging to trees. The bodies of eight pupils were recovered, except for those of Nomntwana and her female schoolmate. The vehicle's driver and his assistant also died, and their bodies were retrieved.
The Grade 10 pupil's uncle, Thanduxolo Dakana, said they were relieved that his niece's body had finally been found.
'The body was recovered by members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). It was found in a decomposed state under the sand in the river in Decoligny village. We are relieved that she has been found because it brings us a step closer to finding closure after losing her.
'We were worried and unable to sleep at night, not knowing where her body was,' Dakana said.
The deceased's father, Mussa AjiDa, said he was 'feeling better' now that his daughter had been found.
'We are preparing for the funeral, most probably on Tuesday (24 June) because we are Muslim,' said AjiDa.
He said he was saddened to lose the daughter whom he so dearly loved.
'It's not easy, but we are trying to be strong,' added AjiDa.
Dakana described his niece as a lovely person.
'What a wonderful human being. Simbongile really loved people even though she was not a talkative person. While she was very young, she said she wanted to study law,' Dakana said.
Speaking on behalf of Jumba Senior Secondary pupils during a provincial day of mourning that was held in Mthatha last Thursday, Grade 11 pupil Ibenaye Mxoxozi said that the deaths of 10 pupils had left the whole school traumatised.
Mxoxozi added:
Examinations had to be postponed. It is really not easy to process such a magnitude of death among our classmates. As fellow pupils, we have decided that the best way to honour them would be to excel academically.
The owner of the minibus the pupils were travelling in is affiliated with the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco).
Santaco national spokesperson Mmatshikhidi Phala appealed to public transport drivers to take precautionary measures in extreme weather.
'When we spoke to the owner of the vehicle, who was the last person to speak to the driver, he explained that the driver called him just as he was driving across the middle of the flooded bridge.
'The driver switched off the engine because the water was very heavy and overpowering the vehicle. The precautionary message that we need to start sending now is that those who are driving when it's raining heavily and who don't know the extent of the water should rather not attempt to drive through,' said Phala.
In a statement on Monday, the Eastern Cape government said the Department of Basic Education had committed to contribute R5 000 towards the burial costs of each of the pupils.