Thobani Mseleni family failing to accept his death. Thobani Mseleni’s family are still struggling to come to terms with the actor’s death‚ with his ten-year-old brother apparently shattered by the news.
Thobani died in a car crash over the weekend along with actor Akhumzi Jezile‚ Siyasanga Kobese and two others. The head-on collision just outside of Queenstown in the Eastern Cape on Saturday killed all the passengers in the car.
Speaking to TshisaLIVE‚ Thobani’s cousin Thando Piliso‚ said that while the whole family was in mourning the star’s brother and mother had been hit hardest.
“Thobani had a ten-year-old who idolised him. It is hard to tell how a ten-year-old feels‚ but you can see he is shattered by the news. We all are.”
He said the pair “were very close”‚ with Thobani providing for his brother when he could. “He was a provider and loved his family more than anything in the world.” Thobani helped fix his mother’s home in 2016 and would call her nearly every day to check up on her.
“His mother is taking it hard. She can’t even speak at the moment. She is just surrounded by her sister and other family members. She is not taking it well. They were very close and it has been very hard on her.”
He said the family’s elders had travelled down to Queenstown over the weekend to identify the body and were told by police that Thobani had been identified by a card in his wallet that was on the scene.
A memorial service for Thobani will be held next Wednesday at the Market Theatre in Johannesburg‚ with a funeral next Saturday in Fort Beaufort in the Eastern Cape.
T-shirts with his face and his favourite quote will be on sale at the memorial service‚ with money raised from the sales going to his foundation. The foundation holds workshops for aspiring young actors.
“We want to give back the way he (Thobani) did. He wanted to help the next generation and we have to continue that legacy.”
Source: Sowetan Live
