Two Grahamstown brothers who drowned in Grey Dam on Sunday, 25 January, were laid to rest On Saturday 31 January in Grahamstown.
Two Grahamstown brothers who drowned in Grey Dam on Sunday, 25 January, were laid to rest On Saturday 31 January in Grahamstown.
Simphiwe and Siyabulela Faxi's lives were cut short when they both drowned in Grey Dam on Sunday 25 January.
A relaxed outing at the dam turned into tragedy on Sunday, as distraught family members wept while a police diver removed the lifeless bodies of the two men from the dam.
Relatives and friends of the two men rushed to the dam when they heard they had disappeared under the water.
According to people at the scene, Simphiwe, affectionately known as Thwale, or Ankile, went into the shallow part of the dam to rinse his face, when he got into difficulty.
Seeing his brother in trouble Siyabulela, known to his friends as 'Fish', jumped into the water to try and pull him out. He, too, started struggling in the water.
A third relative, Thanduxolo, then followed the other two to try and rescue the struggling brothers. He, too, seemed to struggle in the water, according to people at the scene.
Friends at the scene, told Grocott's Mail that Thanduxolo was lucky to survive. A friend managed to drag him to safety. Speaking at a memorial service organised for Simphiwe by the South African Municipal Workers Union at the City Hall yesterday, a visibly emotional Thanduxolo said Simphiwe was always smiling up until his untimely death.
Thanduxolo told a packed city hall that he was always with Simphiwe. "We were so close, we even shared our bath water," he said. Thanduxolo said Simphiwe had left a big gap in their family, his team, XI Attackers and his job at Makana Municipality's Water Department. He said Simphiwe was a dedicated employee.
Programme director Likhaya Ngandi had to deviate from his programme to allow mourners to pay their last respects to Simphiwe the best way they knew how: singing.
In a memorial service characterised by song, Thandazile Madinda of the Makana Local Football Association said Simphiwe had shown promise as a leader.
Madinda used Simphiwe's passion for grooming young children to play sport, to encourage parents to support their children when they participate in sport. Speaking on behalf of Makana Municipality, Wandile Duruwe, said Simphiwe was a leader.
"He was the first team captain to lead our municipal team to play in a foreign country," he said. Duruwe urged Makana Municipality Mayor Zamuxolo Peter, who was at the service, to consider the issue of contract workers like Simphiwe.
Speaking on behalf of XI Attackers, Thando Mtshalala said Simphiwe had played a vital role in coaching young boys and leading them away from negative behaviour.
Mtshalala said the young soccer team coached by Simphiwe did not want to believe the news of his tragic death on Sunday afternoon. Among those who attended the memorial service, were Peter, speaker Rachel Madinda-Isaac, chief whip Julia Wells, Infrastructure and Engineering portfolio head Nomhle Gaga and a number of municipal officials and councillors.
Grahamstown police spokesperson Captain Mali Govender said the two adult men appear to have drowned at approximately 10am on Sunday 25 January at Grey Dam in Grahamstown. Govender said the bodies of the two men, both in their 30s, were recovered. She said police had opened an inquest docket for investigation. anele@grocotts.co.za
