Inside the KZN church tragedy: Samkelisiwe Mzila was among the 13 Pentecostal Holiness Church members who died when a wall of the building where they were sleeping collapsed. Mzila’s eight-year-old son, who was sleeping alongside her, miraculously survived
She was looking forward to taking part in Easter festivities at a Pentecostal church in Empangeni, KwaZulu-Natal to mark the death and resurrection of Christ.
That same night, Mzila was among the 13 Pentecostal Holiness Church members who died when a wall of the building where they were sleeping collapsed as a hailstorm hit Dlangubo, near Empangeni, on KwaZulu-Natal’s north coast. “She told me that she had found a volunteer to stand in for her while she was on leave. She then also asked me if I would consider finding [the volunteer] a permanent job, even in the Expanded Public Works Programme,” he said.“I have lost a colleague who was like a daughter to me. I took her as my PA because I trusted her to deliver on her work. She was doing very well and was upgrading herself by studying for a degree.
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbele said an inquest docket had been opened. She said that 12 of the 13 people killed in the collapse were women, while the 13th was a boy.It was a melancholic atmosphere at the church yesterday afternoon when City Press arrived. Cars were streaming in as church members were huddled in small groups, commiserating.
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