Johannesburg - The last 11 of the 85 deceased victims of the Nigerian church collapse tragedy returned to South Africa early on Friday morning, and a promise that pastor TB Joshua would answer for his role in their deaths was made.
The bodies arrived at the Waterkloof Airbase just after 1am, to a reception by media and army personnel.
Jeff Radebe, minister in the presidency and head of the ministerial task team handling the repatriation, said all bodies had been positively identified.
"The painful and gruelling experience is finally over, and the families can finally close the chapter and perform their last rites," he said.
He said all teams involved had played a big role in the success of the repatriation.
Among them, he counted ministers of different departments, members of the defence force and the police.
The church collapsed in August last year. The 25 injured were brought home in September, and the 74 dead in November.
Verification and DNA testing on the remaining 11 continued into this year, and on Thursday Radebe praised scientists and other forensic experts for accurate results.
"They have under very difficult circumstances used DNA to verify their identities, to ensure that they were all identified."
Six deceased were from Mpumalanga, two from Gauteng and three from Eastern Cape.
Radebe explained that the South African government had no role to play in the ongoing inquest into the cause of the collapse of Joshua's Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN).
But Nigeria’s acting high commissioner to South Africa, Martins Cobham, assured the nation that the perpetrator would face the courts.
He said: "TB will have to stand before court and be brought to book."
The bodies were transported to mortuaries nearest to the families, where Radebe pledged the government's support, within reasonable means, for dignified burials.