‘We are Christians, we forgive’ … hundreds attend funeral of brothers who died in crash

People from all walks of life gathered on Saturday morning at the Gammams Cemetery in Pionierspark for the burial of Chrisley and Nathan Shikale.

The siblings who were both 18, lost their lives after the car they were travelling in crashed head-on into a truck along Auas Road near the Safari Court Hotel on 24 June.

Their father, Samuel Shikale had earlier spoken of his heartbreak at the loss of his two sons, whom he described as “my friends”.

However, Shikale said he is not angry with the driver of a truck that collided with the car his son Nathan was driving.

“No, I am not angry with him. Our feelings toward him… honestly we are Christians, we forgive,” said Shikale during an interview with The Namibian two days before the funeral.

According to the police report, the driver of the truck did not sustain any injuries.

Shikale said the family are yet to meet with him.

“To be honest, we did not even get into the talks that this guy did not come to see us. I don”;t know how my wife feels about it. For me, even if we do not meet him anytime soon, we leave it in God”;s hands. But if he comes to see us… it will be a big bonus,” said the distraught father.

Shikale asserted that he does not blame the truck driver for the death of his sons.

“He was in his lane,” said Shikale, who was at the accident scene that fateful Friday evening.

“I suspect the boys were distracted. Maybe they were showing each other something on the phones and when they lifted up their heads… it was already too late. It is possible to sit next to each other and not see what is in front. We really don”;t know what happened.”

Chrisley and Nathan”;s stepmother Diana Shikale said their deaths have left a void that cannot be filled.

“There was never a Mothers”; Day on which they would not spoil me. No birthday passed without them spoiling me. They would ask their father to give them money to buy me a gift. They would corner me and tease me,” she said.

“No person would replace Chrisley in our hearts. No other boy could fill Nathan”;s place in our hearts. As parents, we will remain with that open, empty hole, which is very painful,” she said.

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