Netcare 911 helicopter crash victims remembered at memorial service

The five medics who died last year when a Netcare 911 emergency helicopter crashed were remembered at a private memorial service held in KwaZulu-Natal this week.

The Bell 430 helicopter took off from Ultimate Heli heliport in Midrand, Gauteng, heading to Hillcrest Hospital in Pietermaritzburg on January 21 2021. On board were a helicopter paramedic, two doctors, a theatre nurse and 12 bottles of oxygen.

After almost two hours of flying, the helicopter started to spin uncontrollably, breaking up in flight while losing height rapidly. When it hit the ground, fire erupted, destroying the aircraft and killing all five occupants on board. 

According to Netcare, more than 100 family members and close friends from across the country attended the memorial service to lay wreaths at the site and remember their loved ones.

“I believe God selected Siyabonga to form part of the history of SA’s healthcare,” said Nomsa Maselana, aunt of the late cardiothoracic surgeon, Dr Siyabonga Curnick Mahlangu.

“Through the enactment of this memorial site, Siyabonga will be remembered by many people in SA. He will be remembered even by people who never saw him. As the Mahlangu and Phakathi families, we are thankful to Netcare for this memorial site which will enable us to pay our respects to Siya and perform the family rituals whenever the family deems it necessary,” she said.

 Nomathemba Dlamini, the niece of specialist theatre nurse Mpho Xaba, who was one of the five killed,  said the memorial site, and more visits, would help the family find healing and  closure.

“We still look for him, hoping to see his beautiful smile and hear his laughter light up a room,” said Stacey Farrance, mother of emergency care practitioner Sinjin Joshua Farrance.

“What you have accomplished in your lifetime has always been phenomenal, and you ran your race with purpose and a unique calling, and for that we honour you.”

Mother of pilot Mark Stoxreiter, Wendy Macaskill, thanked those closest to her son for “making his life what it was”.

“He was happy, and died doing what he loved,” she said.

Dr Richard Friedland, CEO of Netcare, said the company secured two hectares of land to preserve the site and design a memorial in a respectful and inclusive manner, ensuring all families were consulted and their guidance sought.

“We recognise the great significance of this site for the families, and this permanent memorial will remain here for the families and the loved ones to come to whenever they wish to. This space is sacred to the memory of our fallen heroes.

“We have erected this memorial to remember and to reflect on the exceptional lives of these individuals, bearing witness to the extraordinary contribution that they each made in their own unique way. This space, this memorial, stands as a significant and eternal symbol and reminder to all of us that these individuals lived and died as heroes,” Dr Friedland said.

“We recognise that when we lose those we love there are no words, no memorials and no eulogies that can ever ease the pain because there is a tear in the fabric of our lives that can never be fixed. We continue to hold the families and loved ones in our hearts, fully cognisant that we will never be able to comprehend the extent of their loss and the profound vacuum their loved one’s passing has left.

“This horrific tragedy occurred during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, when healthcare workers across our country stood on the frontlines. Their remarkable bravery and sacrifices are not forgotten. In Netcare alone, 75 frontline heroes lost their lives answering the highest call in the service of humanity.

“To recognise and pay tribute to all healthcare workers, across all sectors in SA, both in the private and public sectors, and with the permission of the families, they too have been included in the memorial,” Friedland said.

TimesLIVE