Funeral plans to be made for SA students who died in Cuba

Funeral plans to be made for SA students who died in Cuba

The families of two KZN medical students who died in Cuba, can soon start making arrangements for their funerals.  

CUba Family
Supplied: Health Department


The bodies of Sibusiso Ngeleka and Sihle Makhaye will be flown back to the country next week. 

"The bodies will have to travel almost two days from Havanna, in Cuba, going via Paris, in France, until they reach Johannesburg so that they can come down to Durban. We hope that by Monday the process can be completed so we can start getting the bodies repatriated," Health MEC, Sibongiseni Dhlomo says.

Dhlomo says the 24-year-olds drowned while swimming in a pool at the weekend


ALSO READ: KZN medical student dies in Cuba  

The final year med-students were at a friend's house party. Dhlomo says counsellors have been made available to the young men's families.  

Dhlomo is this weekend set to visit the family of one of the scholars. 

"We are still set to visit one family. We visited the Ngeleka family in Port Shepstone - saying this is a severe and great loss for the department but worse for the family," he says. 

More than 700 students from KZN are receiving medical training in Cuba.

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