Mom's errand of love cut short by tragedy

ON Monday night, Gloria Sekwena told her husband, Joe, in London she never again wanted to go through what she'd gone through that day.

The mother of two had been in a queue at the University of Johannesburg since just after 8am, hoping to help her 18-year-old son, Kgositsile, enrol for his first year of study during the late registrations this week.

Though they had applied at another university, they had not received a response. She did not want to risk him missing a year.

By 4pm, just as they reached the front, the centre closed.

Gloria was unhappy and told her husband on the phone that night: "I don't like the way we were treated, but I'll go again tomorrow."

As a nursing consultant based in London, she had extended her holiday in South Africa to help her son get into university.

She also wanted to be with him for his 19th birthday on February 8.

The next morning, she and her son were among the first to arrive at the university and were near the front of the queue, said her husband, a forensic nurse in London.

But chaos broke out when security guards opened the gate.

A stampede erupted and the 46-year-old mom fell as the huge crowd pushed and shoved to get ahead.

Kgositsile also fell, but got away with minor injuries.

By the time he found his mother lying on the ground, she was dead.

Nana Radebe, Johannesburg Emergency Management Services spokesman, said 20 people were injured in the stampede. They were taken to the Helen Joseph, Charlotte Maxeke, Garden City and Milpark hospitals.

Joe Sekwena arrived in South Africa on Thursday. He said that he believed that if someone had administered CPR, his wife might have survived.

The couple had been working in London for more than 11 years.

Their two sons - the youngest, Mosimane, is in matric this year - attended boarding school at St Albans in Pretoria.

"The main reason we went to London was to make sure we could provide a better future for our children," said Joe.

He said his wife's first priority had been their children's education. She at first worked in the formal health sector in London, but found it too demanding. She became a consultant to allow her to travel home to South Africa more frequently to visit her children.

Joe said his wife travelled home at least four times a year. She told him during the festive season that she had extended her holiday to be there for Kgositsile's birthday.

"She was a woman of surprises, so I wouldn't be surprised if she had special plans to celebrate it," he said.

But, instead, Gloria's family are now preparing for her funeral.

Her handbag containing all her personal documents - her ID, passport and bank cards - was lost in Tuesday's stampede. And without it, burying her is now proving to be a "battle", said her husband.

"It just makes me sad that there could be someone out there with my wife's bag with all those much-needed documents," he said.

On Wednesday, the university offered to waive tuition fees for Kgositsile's choice of study, should he be accepted.

Tshepiso Ramphele, Gloria's uncle, said the funeral would take place in Krugersdorp, west of Johannesburg, on Saturday.