FOUR relatives returning to their Estcourt home on Friday after attending their nephew’s funeral in Ladysmith, were killed in a car crash in Colenso.
Anilduth Ommapersad and his wife, Rekadevi, both 60; Neershnee Naidoo, 46; and Ashokkumar Sidiyal, 49; died after their vehicle crashed into a Kombi and flipped several times.
Anilduth and Neershnee were siblings, and Ashokkumar was their cousin. According to a relative, Nareena Naidoo, the victims were born and raised in Estcourt, and lived there with their families. She said the weather was bad as they travelled back to Estcourt at around 2.15pm that day.
Anilduth was driving.
“They told us when they were on their way home from Ladysmith. They said the weather was bad and that the roads were wet. A minibus ahead of them had smashed into another vehicle. My brother-in-law tried to avoid the crash but he couldn’t. Their car hit the minibus and flipped six times before it landed in the bush. Unfortunately, Reka, Anilduth and Ashok died on impact. They suffered broken necks,” said Naidoo.
Neershnee was being transported to Ladysmith Hospital when she succumbed to her internal injuries, Naidoo added. She said Anilduth was retired and Rekadevi was a housewife. They had three children and three grandchildren, who were struggling to come to terms with their parents’ deaths.
“Reka and her husband were loved by everyone. It is hard to believe that they are no longer with us. They were the couple that everyone admired, always helping during other people's funerals and lending an ear during sad times. They had just celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary last year, and this year they are gone. We may never recover from this loss,” said Naidoo.
The funerals took place at the Swami Sahajananda Community Centre in Ladysmith.
Their niece, Geneve Boros, said their family were having a difficult time accepting that they had lost five relatives in one week.
“We first lost my cousin from a heart attack, and then two days later the four passed. We are trying to be strong but this is a devastating situation for the family. When I got the call, I had a panic attack. It was so unexpected and sad,” said Boros.
“The reality of what happened only hit me when I saw the four coffins. The four cousins were very close. They did everything together, which is why they decided to attend the funeral together.”
She said they were popular in the family.
“My uncle Ashokkumar was the life of the party. He was kind and helpful,” said Boros.
Shakira Jairajh Autar, Neershnee’s best friend for 25 years, said she went to the scene when she got the news.
“When I heard about the accident through a friend, we went to the scene but on our way our friend called to say they had all passed on. I was in shock and just started crying,” said Autar.
She said Neershnee was a housewife who lost her husband a few years ago.
“She was such a joy to be around. She was the most selfless person I knew. I will miss her,” said Autar.