SA woman's wedding plans end with plane crash

Published May 18, 2010

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By Mhleni Shangase and Thami Ngubane

Khululiwe Cynthia Mfekayi was about to tie the knot when she and others died in a plane crash in Tripoli, Libya, last Wednesday.

Mfekayi, 24, from Khula Village in St Lucia, died with her husband-to-be Peter de Beck on their way to Belgium where De Beck's family live.

De Beck had reportedly fulfilled all lobola requirements when the accident happened.

The two were meant to have stayed in Belgium for three months while they planned their January 2011 wedding.

The pair left South Africa on an Afriqiyah Airways flight on Tuesday night and were expected to land in Tripoli the following morning.

Although the cause of the crash has not yet been determined, it is believed that the crew were blinded by the sun. The investigation continues.

The Mfekayis have left for Libya to identify her body while the De Becks have already identified Peter de Beck. A friend, Hlengiwe Mlambo, said Mfekayi had been to Belgium before.

She said Khululiwe's family had accepted her passing away.

"I last made contact with her on Facebook and she told me they would be taking a connecting flight in Libya," Mlambo said.

"They were making plans for a wedding which was to take place at the end of January next year.

"All we wish for is to find her remains and bury her with dignity," she said, adding Mfekazi had been working at a St Lucia restaurant.

Investigators from all over the world have since flocked to the site of the accident.

They recovered two black boxes which will help establish what caused the accident.

The Airbus A330-200 is similar to one that crashed in the Atlantic Osean on June 11 last year. The cause of the Air France crash has not yet been established.

The Libyan government has ruled out terrorism as a cause of the crash.

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