Sad farewell for young Oripfa

The family of Oripfa Nedzamba, the three-year-old boy who drowned last week at the family swimming pool in Gauteng, say a void has been left in their hearts, following the tragedy.

Oripfa (3) drowned last Monday afternoon, during a freak incident, while playing at home in Meredale, Johannesburg. He was buried at the weekend at his village, Tshidimbini, outside Thohoyandou.

The burial at Tshidimbini cemetery followed a service held earlier that morning at his home. His tombstone was unveiled during the funeral.

Family, friends, relatives, church members from Gauteng and locals braved the muddy conditions in the area and gathered at the family house on Saturday. The funeral was an emotional one, with the parents and the elder brother of Oripfa sobbing throughout the funeral service.

Oripfa’s mother, Lorraine, said they were in shock and that it was not an easy situation but added that they had accepted the death of their beloved son as God’s will. “God gave us time to be with him and though it is not easy to accept what happened, it is well with us.”

She added that Oripfa "was a jolly bundle of joy at all times" and that they would always treasure the joy he had brought into the family in his short life.

Oripfa’s father, Mr Khathutshelo Nedzamba, said that his son’s death had left a big void in the family. “Though the boy was still very young, he had become a very interesting figure in the morning. Every morning when we prepared him for crèche, he would dance and sing, which brought us a lot of joy in the family.”

On behalf of the local civic and traditional authority, Pastor Patson Tshikororo said the whole village was overwhelmed with grief. “Children are the future of this country and if we lose them, we just have to know that we are losing leaders who would take this country forward. The loss is not for you only as a family but we are also grieved by this tragedy,” he said.

The funeral service was officiated by elder Mudzimba Ramagwede of the Meadowlands Church of Christ and Rev Obrien Malindi of the local church at Tshidimbini.

Oripfa is survived by his parents and brother.

Date:04 February 2017

By: Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

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