Netball South Africa has confirmed, that four people have died from the OR Tambo district in the Eastern after bus accident in early hours of Sunday morning.
Three players, and an official from the OR Tambo district died in the accident to the 2021 Spar National Championships, which starts in Belleville on Monday, on the R61 road near Aberdeen on Sunday morning.
Netball South Africa president Cecilia Molokwane, issued a statement, “As Netball South Africa, we are deeply saddened by this news. Losing lives is never an easy thing to deal with.
“We are devasted by the news and we would like to send our deepest, sincere condolences to the families who have lost loved ones.
“We are all in mourning. The people that passed away are part of netball, and we are heartbroken by all of this.” The accident happened in Aberdeen, a small town in the Sarah Baartman District Municipality of the Eastern Cape, around 4am on Sunday.
Followed by statement issued by Netball president, the MEC for Sports, Arts and Culture in the Eastern Cape, Fezeka Nkomonye, and Eastern Cape Netball President, Nompumelelo Javu rushed to the scene after the accident.
“We can confirm that there has been four fatalities, and we are in the process of informing families,” said Mpumi Javu, Eastern Cape Netball President.
“This is not how we wanted to kickstart the tournament or end the year. However, we find ourselves in this situation.
“These are trying times, and we request a bit of privacy and space to handle this matter. We will liaise with Netball South Africa, and they will communicate accordingly.”
