MVA TURNING TRAGENDY INTO TRUIMPH FOR ROAD CRUSH SURVIVORS
When 14-year-old Bonga Gule left for school on February 18, 2025, he expected a normal day. But that afternoon, tragedy struck. A speeding car hit him on his way home from Fonteyn, leaving him with devastating injuries that would change his life forever.
He was rushed to the Mbabane Government Hospital, where doctors confirmed spinal trauma that rendered him paraplegic. His trachea was severely damaged, leaving him unable to speak or eat normally and dependent on a feeding tube and constant care. For many, this could have marked the end of a childhood — but for Bonga, it became the beginning of an extraordinary story of resilience, hope, and recovery, supported by the Sincephetelo Motor Vehicle Accident Fund (SMVAF).
SMVA corporate executive staff posing with claimants during the customer service week home visit initiative
“At some point, while transporting him in an ambulance, I had little hope he would survive,” recalled Innocentia Matse, the Case Management Officer assigned to Bonga’s case. Eight months later, on October 10, Bonga was seen running around the Hope House facility in Manzini, smiling and full of life. Though he still cannot speak, doctors are preparing for a tracheal reconstruction surgery that could restore his ability to eat and talk.
“We are optimistic that Bonga will be able to return to school next year,” said Tengetile Shongwe, SMVAF Case Services Manager. “His family’s cooperation and strength have been remarkable.” The SMVAF’s Case Management Team, led by Corporate Executive Sam Mzileni, visited Bonga and other survivors during Customer Service Week, held under the theme “Mission Possible.”
The visits served as a reaffirmation of the Fund’s commitment to restoring lives shattered by road crashes. Another visit took the team to Mbasheni, where three-year-old Zama, who had suffered severe head injuries in a minibus accident, has made an astonishing recovery. "The accident left him with an exposed skull—it was terrifying,” said his guardian, Make Dlamini. “We are deeply grateful to the doctors and MVA Fund staff who never stopped checking in.”
Wrapping up the visits, Mzileni commended the Case Management Team for their compassion and dedication. “Our mission is not just to process claims—it is to restore dignity, rebuild lives, and prove that recovery is possible,” he said.
For Bonga and Zama, Mission Possible is not just a theme — it’s a lived reality, and a promise that with the right support, even the deepest tragedies can turn into stories of triumph.