ON Wednesday, May 16, students and staff at Grootfontein College of Agriculture were tremendously shocked when they received the news about two students that passed away following a motorcycle accident.
The two second year students, 20-year-old Loyiso Swartbooi (known as Bangle) and Siyamanga Jodwana (Pear) were on their way to Bangle’s hometown of Graaff-Reinet when they were hit by an oncoming vehicle just outside the town.
To most of the students it was extremely difficult to deal with the loss of their two friends.
On Friday, May 18, a short prayer session was held at the college by the principal, Themba Cebani, director Tino Herselman and pastor Nico Luther from the AGS Lux Dei church. A memorial service is planned for today at Grootfontein College of Agriculture.
Swartbooi first attended Union High School until the end of Grade 9 in 2013. During Grade 8 and 9 at Union High School, he became friends with a classmate, Sean Kroon, whom he often visited on their farm in the Willowmore district.
There on Kroon’s farm, Loyiso discovered his passion for farming.
In 2014 he went to Winterberg Agricultural High School where he matriculated in 2016.
At school he was known by his friends as Bouncer, but when he joined Grootfontein College of Agriculture last year, he was given the nickname Bangle.
Khanyisa Tshuni, better known as Bolt at Grootfontein College of Agriculture, who was good friends with Loyiso since the first day they met at Union High in 2012 in Grade 8, said he would really miss Loyiso’s friendship, laughs and being around.
Bolt (also known as KK) and Bangle were part of a group of friends who had a lot in common.
In 2017 they were devastated when Kroon was brutally murdered in Bloemfontein during a house robbery.
Themba Cebani, principal at the Agricultural college, said during a recent conversation, “I have never had a direct conversation with Siya (Siyamanga Jodwana).
“I always talked to him in a group but his smile and a bit laid-back character was observed.
“He has been a good student and well-behaved. Since the sad news broke I had been in constant communication with his father.
“I first met Loyiso when his parents brought him to my office on January 19, 2017.
“Through his father’s introduction I realised that we had a mutual friend.
“Since then we never stopped talking. I got to know Loyiso better when he came to seek guidance on what to do for them as students to be part of a game ranching festival that takes place on a farm between Middelburg and Graaff-Reinet,” Cebani said.
“The feedback I received from this festival was so overwhelming that I was encouraged to send more interested students to the festival this year. Loyiso was singled out as one of the students who stood shoulders above the rest in executing whichever task assigned to him.
“The last time I spoke to him was on April 23 this year when he came to my office to explain how this year’s festival was organised. He was scheduled to be part of the Karoo Ranching media tour to Auckland Park SABC from May 20-23 where video shooting would be done during this year’s film festival.
“I cannot imagine what the families are going through right now because these were young, ambitious prospective farmers. This is not only the loss to the families but also to Grootfontein and the agricultural sector at large,” Cebani concluded.