Africa-Press – South-Africa. Family, friends and colleagues of Dominiko Josephy, known as Joseph Dumisane, gathered in Anderson Street in the Johannesburg city centre on Tuesday, about one kilometre away from the scene where he had drawn his last breath.
It was the scene of the recent gas explosion in the city which left 48 people injured and hospitalised.
Dumisane, from Chikwawa, Malawi, was a street trader who sold shoes on the corner of Loveday and Lilian Ngoyi Streets.
He ended up underneath the wreckage of a minibus taxi which had overturned during the explosion.
At the memorial service, friends recounted calling him on the evening of the explosion, only to learn hours later that he had died.
Attendees sang Catholic hymns and prayed in the Malawian Chewa language.
“He left us unexpectedly, and we will miss him. Life without him will not be the same. His absence will be felt across the streets of the city centre,” his brother, Zikiel Paul, told News24.
Paul, who also runs a business in the city centre, said Dumisane’s body would make a 28-hour journey home to Malawi on Wednesday morning.
“They will travel by road, which means they will arrive on Friday. The family is waiting and will bury him immediately after his arrival,” he said.
Paul will not attend his brother’s funeral because he needs to take care of his business in the inner city centre.
“I can’t leave now because no one else is left to take care of the business. I will go home another time, but not for the funeral,” he said.
Paul previously said that Dumisane’s friends donated money so that he could be repatriated.
On Tuesday afternoon, he said he was happy that their family would find closure.
“They did not believe he died until they started seeing news reports. Now that they will bury him, they will find some peace,” he said.
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