Eight-year-old Khumo Moselakgomo delivered a heartbreaking tribute to her mother, murdered Kempton Park runner Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo, at her funeral on Sunday.
Standing before mourners in Phake, Mpumalanga, on 20 September, Khumo read a deeply personal poem about losing her mother and the memories she will carry with her as she grows up.
“Dear mother, how heartbreaking that you left me,” she said.
Khumo told mourners that although she could no longer hold her mother’s hand or hear her voice, she would keep her love and memory close.
“I carry you inside my heart,” she said.
DAUGHTER WHO RAISED THE ALARM NOW SAYS GOODBYE
The tribute carried particular weight because Khumo was the person who first realised her mother had not returned from her usual afternoon run.
Moselakgomo left her Kempton Park home on 9 September. When she failed to return at her usual time, her daughter alerted relatives and helped trigger the search for her.
Three days later, authorities found Moselakgomo’s body in Rhodesfield.
Her family later identified the 38-year-old at the Germiston mortuary.
On Sunday, Khumo stood before the same family that had searched desperately for her mother and spoke about how she would keep their memories alive.
She told mourners she would look to the sky when she missed her mother and remember everything she had done for her.
FAMILY REMEMBERS A DEVOTED MOTHER
Moselakgomo’s family has described her as a devoted mother who shared a close bond with her daughter.
Family spokesperson Andries Matlaila previously called her the “glue” that held the family together and said she loved her family deeply.
She also loved road running and regularly took part in races and organised running events.
Her death prompted an outpouring of support from runners across South Africa, with clubs organising memorial runs and gatherings in her honour.
FINAL FAREWELL IN PHAKE
Family, friends, runners and community members gathered in Phake on Sunday to pay their final respects to Moselakgomo, who was born and raised in Mpumalanga.
Her funeral came a day after hundreds of runners gathered in Kempton Park to honour her and other women killed across Ekurhuleni.
Police continue to investigate the deaths of nine women across Ekurhuleni and are working to establish whether any of the cases are connected. They have not confirmed that one person killed all nine women.
She ended her tribute by telling mourners that although she misses her mother every day, she will continue to carry her with her as she grows up.
