Family and friends gathered in Pankop township, Mpumalanga, on Sunday 20 September 2026 to bid farewell to runner Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo, 38. Image: Supplied
The Elizabeth Moselakgomo funeral brought family, friends and mourners together in Pankop township, Mpumalanga, on Sunday 20 September 2026. Eight-year-old Khumo Moselakgomo stood up and delivered a tribute that silenced the room. She spoke words that no child should ever have to say.
“Dearest mother, how heartbreaking that you left me,” Khumo said. “The day feels quiet without your voice, but your love is still here.” She continued: “When I feel sad and miss you, I will look up to the sky and imagine you are watching me from above with love in your eyes. I carry you inside my heart, so you can always be near. Love, your beautiful princess Khumo. Thank you. I love you.”
The words silenced the room. Adults who had come to offer comfort found themselves needing it. Khumo’s courage in that moment became the image that South Africa will carry from this funeral.
Khumo was also the first to raise the alarm when her mother did not come home. On 10 September 2026, Elizabeth left her Kempton Park home for an afternoon run and never returned. When her mother failed to come back, Khumo contacted relatives. The family then reported Elizabeth as missing. Investigators later identified her body at the Germiston mortuary. She was 38 years old.
Furthermore, Social Development Minister Dina Pule addressed mourners at the funeral. She described Elizabeth as a hero who left footprints on the sands of time. Pule’s words reflected the weight of a loss that stretched far beyond Pankop. From running clubs to communities she never visited, South Africans across the country mourned Elizabeth as one of their own.
In life, Elizabeth was known in running circles simply as Tsontso. She was a dedicated athlete who trained consistently and inspired those around her to lace up and hit the road. Those who knew her describe her as the glue of the family, the person who held everyone together and showed up when it mattered. On Sunday, her community came to Pankop to honour that legacy.
Elizabeth Moselakgomo Funeral: A Country Rallies Around Khumo
As a result of an outpouring of public support, a BackaBuddy fundraising campaign for Khumo’s education surpassed its R50,000 target and raised R108,541 by mid-September. Ordinary South Africans donated because they saw in Khumo a child who deserved a future, even after the cruelest of losses. The campaign became a small act of collective love for a little girl the country had never met but could not stop thinking about.
Elizabeth is one of nine women whose deaths authorities are investigating in the Ekurhuleni area since July 2026. The cases have shaken communities and prompted urgent questions about the safety of women in South Africa. Police have not confirmed whether a single perpetrator is responsible for all nine deaths. Investigations continue.
The pattern of violence drew widespread condemnation. Women’s rights organisations, public figures, and ordinary citizens called on authorities to act with greater urgency. Each name added to the list reignited that call. Elizabeth’s name is now on that list, and her daughter stood up on Sunday to make sure the country remembered it.
South Africa has one of the highest femicide rates in the world. Men kill women with devastating regularity, partners, strangers, and unknown hands. Cases like Elizabeth’s force the country to confront that reality again, even when it would rather look away. Her funeral reminded everyone that behind every statistic is a family, a community, and in this case, an eight-year-old girl who had to say goodbye far too soon.
Khumo ended her tribute with five words that cut through everything. “I love you,” she said. Then she sat down.