Limpopo Health MEC Dr Phophi Ramathuba, Botswana high commissioner Dr Sanji Monageng and social development MEC Nandi Ndalana on Tuesday led the repatriation process of the remains of 45 Botswana citizens at Polokwane International Airport.
The human remains belong to 45 worshippers from Botswana died while on their way to St Engenas Zion Cristian Church (ZCC) for an Easter pilgrimage to Moria outside Polokwane when their bus plunged off the bridge and caught fire on 28 March.
The Limpopo department of health said a multidisciplinary team comprising the Saps victim identification unit, the Forensic Pathology Services, the Biology Section of the Forensic Science Laboratory Unit, and their Botswana counterparts has worked nonstop since the accident day to recover and positively identify the human remains using DNA.
“It has been a long, tiring, and equally traumatising journey for the team. However, we are comforted by the fact that the families will finally find closure,” said Ramathuba.