Prophet TB Joshua deaths: Bodies arrive home

THE bodies of two Bulawayo women who died following the collapse of prophet TB Joshua's three-storey Synagogue Church of All Nations (Scoan) guest house in Nigeria finally arrived in the country yesterday, close to two months after the accident.Three Zimbabweans died in the mishap which occurred on 12 September this year.

The remains of Mrs Catherine Ndlovu of Mpopoma and Mrs Jane Sibanda (nee Hwature) from Entumbane arrived at Joshua Nkomo International Airport in Bulawayo from South Africa at around 8.30 am yesterday. It could not be immediately established whether the body of Mr Greenwich Ndanga, the MDC-T chairman for Mashonaland West, had also been repatriated.

The bodies of Mrs Ndlovu, Mrs Sibanda and Mr Ndanga were among the 74 bodies which were repatriated from Nigeria to South Africa last week.

Representatives of the deceased's families travelled to South Africa to positively identify their next of kin after DNA tests were conducted before repatriating the bodies home.

Repatriation costs were reported to have been met by TB Joshua's church.

Separate emotional church services were held for Mrs Ndlovu and Mrs Sibanda at Kings and Queens funeral parlour soon after their bodies arrived in the country, as the families of the two reportedly refused to hold a joint service.

Officials from the parlour had also advised against viewing of the bodies which were said to be in a bad state following their long stay in Nigeria, but the Sibanda family insisted on viewing the body of their relative before burial.

The body viewing session was, however, only restricted to close family members.

Mrs Sibanda was laid to rest yesterday afternoon at West Park Cemetery in Bulawayo, while Mrs Ndlovu is expected to be buried at the same cemetery today.

The Ndlovu family refused to speak to the media, with the family spokesperson, Mr Khulekani Ndlovu, saying the family was still grief-stricken and he would only be able to give a comment today after the burial of their relative.

A representative from the Sibanda family, Mr Albert Sibanda, who is a brother to the deceased's husband, thanked members of the family and friends for their support during the two months of mourning, and expressed gratitude to the Synagogue Church of All Nations for assisting in repatriating the body.

"She was a prayer warrior and pillar on which the family stood. We have lost a mother, a sister and a daughter. On behalf of the family I would like to thank everyone for their support, especially the church for assisting us with bringing our relative back home for burial," he said.

Mr Sibanda could not be drawn into revealing the specific purpose of Mrs Sibanda's visit to the prophet famed for delivering people from various ailments.

Mrs Sibanda is survived by her husband, Ian, and two children aged 13 and eight, while Mrs Ndlovu is survived by two children, one who is said to be in hospital and the reason she had visited TB Joshua.

The arrival of the bodies comes two months after the tragedy which claimed 116 lives, 85 of them South Africans.

Dozens others were injured in the accident, apparently after the construction of additional floors on the guest house without reinforcing the foundations.

TB Joshua, who was conspicuous by his absence when the 74 bodies were repatriated to South Africa last week, claims foul play, insisting that a mysterious plane had flown four times too close to the structure causing the collapse.