The Portfolio Committee on Sports, Arts and Culture Chairperson, Beauty Dlulane, is deeply saddened by the passing of four netball athletes, who passed away in a bus accident near Aberdeen in the Eastern Cape. The players were on their way to compete in a netball national championships in Bellville, outside Cape Town. The committee sends its deepest condolences to the bereaved families.
Dlulane also wishes a speedy recovery to those who survived the crash. “Road accidents around this time of the year are a regular occurrence, but this incident speaks to the need to professionalise netball in South Africa. The set-up is too amateurish, if the expectation had been that these athletes will travel for 17 hours by bus and expected to perform on arrival,” the Chairperson said.
A bus carrying Eastern Cape provincial team members involved in an accident just outside Aberdeen. They were due to participate in the week-long Spar National Championships. Dlulane said it would be preferable for the tournament to be rescheduled, but if the tournament does go ahead, those who passed away should be remembered with due ceremony before each game.
The survivors should also be provided with the necessary support and counseling services, Dlulane noted.
