THE South African Sports Confederation Olympic Committee condolences to the four families who lost their loved ones in a terrible bus accident.
In Aberdeen, Eastern Cape, a bus carrying two teams from the OR Tambo area was involved in an accident, killing three netballers and one employee.
At the time of the accident, the players were their way to the National Netball Championship in Cape Town.
Barry Hendrix, chairman of Sascock, said their hearts were broken when they received the bad news.
“Our athletes are the backbone of sports and they are working hard to excel in different sports areas,” Hendrix said in a statement.
“It is from the bottom of my heart that netballers and officers disappear while they are preparing and looking forward to the 2023 Netball World Cup.”
Ravi Govender, CEO of Sascoc, said the tragedy was deeply imprinted in the heart of the organization.
“We are shocked and saddened by the sudden death of a member of the netball team who was traveling on duty to compete in the national championship,” Gobender said.
“It’s tragic that our athletes’ lives have been shortened unexpectedly. We express our heartfelt condolences and sympathy to their families and netball families.”
The Department of Sports, Arts and Culture has also offered its condolences to the families who lost their loved ones in the horrible Aberdeen bus accident.
Sports minister Nathi Mthethwa said the tragic passing of the netball players and the officials was a big loss to netball in South Africa.
“These athletes were destined to participate in one of the tournaments that were meant to select future stars ahead of the 2023 Netball World Cup scheduled to take place in Cape Town,” Mthethwa said.
“The tragic death of these athletes is indeed a serious blow to the nation and to netball, as a fast-growing sport.”
The statement said deputy Sports Minister Nocawe Mafu and Eastern Cape Sports MEC will be engaging with the families of the injured and the deceased and will meet them on Wednesday.
