OPINION

"My dead dad haunts me!" - Daily Sun

"His grandson died in TB Joshua's church. Now he wants to know why his remains are not home!" - front page lead, December 4 2014

Daily Sun (December 4 2014) - NOZIKHUMBUZO is being haunted by her dead father.

The body of her son, who died in the collapse of the TB Joshua building in Nigeria, is still not home and she says her father is angry.

HE WANTS TO KNOW WHEN HIS GRANDSON IS COMING HOME.

Nozikhumbuzo Mzinyati (58) from KwaNobuhle, Uitenhage, Eastern Cape said her late father visits her every night in her dreams.

"He stands at the front gate. He demands to see Clifford," she said. Nozikhumbuzo's son, Clifford Mzinyati (35), died when the hostel at TB Joshua's All Nations Church collapsed in controversial circumstances on 12 September, almost three months ago.

He is one of 11 victims whose remains are still in Nigeria.

Since the tragedy Nozikhumbuzo has had sleepless nights.

"My late father Fikile, who died in 1992, keeps coming to me in my dreams. I have told him many times that Clifford died in Nigeria but he keeps on saying he will not rest until I bring his remains home," she said.

"My father was a cripple when he died but in my dream he walks normally and stands at the gate. He is very angry. He stares at me and asks when I am bringing Clifford's remains back?"

She said he walks around the yard until she wakes up shaking with fear.

The heartbroken mum told Daily Sun: "My son never told me where he was going. I only found out after his younger brothers told me where he was," she said.

"They told me he had gone to TB Joshua's church to get divine intervention for me because I am not well."

She said three weeks after she heard he had died, she dreamt she was sliding down slippery rocks and falling into an open grave.

"Soon after that Fikile started coming into my dreams and he has been haunting me ever since," she said.

Clifford was a fire-fighter.

"Every end of the month he would spend almost all his salary on me," she said.

"He would spoil me with fried chicken and fruit and vegetables as well as peanuts. He was a good son."

She said blood samples were taken from her and her daughter two weeks ago for DNA purposes.

"I wish my son would come home soon. We need closure," she said.

Lindiwe Vanqa (60), Clifford's aunt, said the man had loved his mother very much.

"That's why he went to Nigeria," she said.

"He was a handsome young man who always had a huge smile on his face."

Government spokeswoman Phumla Williams told Daily Sun they were waiting for the results of fresh samples to identify the 11 bodies still in Nigeria. She said the first samples didn't produce conclusive results.

"At this stage we don't have feedback about whether they have finished identifying the bodies," said Williams.

She added that the families had been given an undertaking that as soon as they heard from the Nigerian authorities, they would be informed of the results.

See the Daily Sun mobi site for more on this and other stories....

 

The Daily Sun is South Africa's largest daily newspaper with an average circulation of 274 165 (Audit Bureau of Circulations 2nd Quarter 2014) and a readership of 5.7m (as per AMPS 2012ab). Its Facebook page can be accessed here. It can be followed on Twitter here. To find about advertising on the Daily Sun click here.

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