Malawian twin born on bus is laid to rest
454 7/06/16 Mercy Ndlovu the mother of the twins who gave birth at a bus buried her son Jone who died just after two hours of being born. Picture:Nokuthula Mbatha 454 7/06/16 Mercy Ndlovu the mother of the twins who gave birth at a bus buried her son Jone who died just after two hours of being born. Picture:Nokuthula Mbatha
Johannesburg - One of the twin brothers who were born in a bus in Tom Jones Street in Benoni has been laid to rest. Baby Tom, the brother of Jones, was buried on Tuesday.
They were named by paramedics who assisted their mother, who went into labour on a stranded bus.
The funeral service was held at the Northfield Methodist Church in Benoni, and baby Tom was buried at Rynsoord cemetery.
The twins were born prematurely last week when the bus their mother and other passengers were travelling in to Malawi was stuck on the roadside.
Tom’s mother, Mercy Ndlovu, 21, was visibly sad during the funeral service.
Her cousin Febbie Harawa said it had been a difficult time for the family, and even worse for Ndlovu. "Mercy was in South Africa to visit her husband, and from last Tuesday had been experiencing pain.”
Frank Mkandawire, Tom’s paternal grandfather, apologised that his son could not make it to the funeral due to work commitments in Cape Town. "On behalf of the father of these children, I wish to thank all South Africans who have lent a helping hand to Mercy and other Malawians when that bus left them stranded," he said.
When asked if Benoni was the appropriate resting place for Tom, he said: “Because the boy's life was so short-lived, we will not travel with his body back home. We have laid him to rest where he passed on.”
Malawian church leaders and the regional director of the Department of Social Development Department in Ekurhuleni, Phumla Nkosi, and a few Benoni commuters came to show their support to the bereaved family.
Nkosi read a statement on behalf of Gauteng Social Department MEC Nandi Mayathula-Khoza. “During this period, we rededicate ourselves to reminding our people that it takes a village to raise a child.
"This little boy has given his short life to mobilise all of us to remember that your child is mine and mine is yours."
Ndlovu will continue to undergo counselling to help cope with her loss. She has been assigned a social worker as well as accommodation close to OR Tambo Memorial Hospital, where baby Jones is still undergoing medical care.