Doreen Mokgolo
The family of a Mossel Bay teacher who died last month in China are working tirelessly to repatriate her body before it’s too late.
Lusanda Sixaxeni, 27, was teaching English in Beijing when she rapidly succumbed to an infection, just days before she was scheduled to fly home.
Now, her family is fighting to raise R400,000 to bring her body back to Mossel Bay, in the Eastern Cape, before Chinese authorities cremate her.
Lusanda had left South Africa in 2018 after struggling to find work. With a degree in psychology from Nelson Mandela University, she was well qualified, so she lept at the chance to teach English abroad.
Her brother Mandisi Sixaxeni said they never had trouble getting in touch with her, and she barely went a day without calling their mother.
But on 30 August, she stopped responding to their calls.
They tried for a week, before resolving to contact the South African embassy on 6 September.
Embassy officials accompanied Chinese police to Lusanda’s flat. When there was no response, they broke down the door.
They found Lusanda, weak and disoriented – but alive.
Her brother said they were relieved to hear that she was alive but they were worried about her health. She was checked into hospital and as the days went by, her condition failed to improve.
“On some days she couldn’t recognise us, especially our mother,” he said.
“When we inquired about her health, we were told that the doctors were still running medical tests, but they discovered an infection in her urine.” She passed away on 12 September.
The family needs R400,000 for lawyers’ fees and to repatriate Lusanda’s body. They said that if they fail to raise this fee, the hospital has threatened to cremate her body.
The family is now pleading for donations. “We don’t have that kind of money. We have asked everyone we could for assistance but we are failing.
“All we want is to get her body back home so that we can give her a dignified funeral,” said Sixaxeni.
It is not up to the government to pay for her repatriation. Clayson Monyela, spokesperson for the Department of International Relations, explained that when a citizen dies in a foreign country the South African government only offers non-financial assistance.
“The deceased’s family is expected to cover all the financial expenses for the repatriation,” he said.
He added that the department has been in contact with the family and has advised them accordingly.
