'I lost my baby sisters'

Grade 11 school pupil Nondumiso Mnguni was excited about attending her first reed dance as her older sister Noxolo had participated in the annual event many times.

But the two sisters, known for enjoying doing things together, met their deaths on their return from Nongoma.

The sisters were among the seven Zulu maidens who were killed, along with two of their guardians, when the bus they were on overturned and crashed into barriers on the R66 near Melmoth at 5pm on Sunday.

Thirteen other maidens were critically injured.

Said brother Lethu Mnguni yesterday: "Nondumiso was 18 and looked up to her 21-year-old sister Noxolo.

"She wanted to do everything that she did. She was so eager to attend the reed dance and we were looking forward to hearing about their journey when they returned home," he said.

Noxolo was studying towards a diploma in catering while Nondumiso was a "happy school pupil".

"I have no words. We are too shocked. How will my parents recover from losing two daughters at once? I lost my baby sisters. Where do we turn now?" Mnguni said.

His family blames the driver of the bus for the crash.

"We were told he was just the mechanic and not the bus driver. He should not have been driving," Mnguni said.

KwaZulu-Natal transport MEC Willies Mchunu said: "Preliminary investigations reveal that the bus had been speeding when the driver lost control.

"It has also been found that traffic officials had earlier stopped the bus in Nongoma and found that the initial bus driver had been driving under the influence.

"The driver was arrested and detained in Nongoma and subsequently replaced with another driver, who was behind the wheel when the accident occurred.

"The replacement bus driver is still in hospital and not dead as initially reported.

"The death toll still stands at nine, including seven girls and two women who had been acting as their guardians," he said.

The bus was hired by the Umzumbe Municipality to transport maidens to the event.

The owner of bus company, Malundi Excursions, was not available to comment.

The annual reed dance was revived by Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini in 1984.

It is a celebration of Zulu maidens' virginity. As part of the ceremony, the young women dance bare-breasted for their king, and each carries a long reed. If the reed should break before she deposits it before the king, it is taken that she has been sexually active.

In a statement yesterday, the royal household said it was saddened by the worst tragedy to hit the event. It called on South Africans to support the victims' families through prayer.