24.01.2026
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Sefatsa’s absence deeply felt at Oakwood Primary: Principal

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  • The funeral service of relatives 18-year-old Phehello Motaung and seven-year-old Lesego Sefatsa in Sebokeng, 24 Jan 2026.

Seven-year-old Lesego Sefatsa was filled with promise and his absence at Oakwood Primary School in Vanderbijlpark is deeply felt.

That’s according to the school principal, Wilmari Botha, who was speaking at Sefatsa’s funeral in Sebokeng.

The little boy was among the fourteen learners who died in Monday’s tragic crash between a scholar transport taxi and a truck along the Golden Highway.

A joint funeral is being held for Sefatsa and his uncle, 18-year-old Phehello Motaung, at their home in Sebokeng. Both were in the same taxi when tragedy struck.

Botha says Sefatsa was a precious gift, a young life filled with promise.

“Though his time with us at Oakwood family was short, his life mattered and his memory will live on in our hearts. At school, he was part of our family. As we remember Lesego today, may we find strength, peace in God’s promises and comfort in knowing that Lesego now rests in the arms of our heavenly father,” says Botha.

Video| Motaung and Sefatsa’s funeral service:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73x-FCPiOos

Meanwhile, a teacher of the late six-year-old Bohlale Lekekela has described her as a bubbly child who enjoyed putting a smile on other people’s faces.

Belinda Njuze says Lekekela was passionate about school. The six-year-old was a learner at the Elshadai Christian School in Vanderbijlpark before her untimely passing.

While paying tribute at the child’s funeral service, Njuze said her classroom will be bleak without Lekekela’s presence.

“Bohlale was a bubbly child, always happy. We enjoyed having Bohlale in the class; she was the child who loved people very much,” says Njuze.

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