This article may contain graphic and/or adult content unsuitable for minors and sensitive readers Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane will be in attendance when an Eastern Cape soldier who was killed in the conflict in the DRC is laid to rest on Saturday Bhisho said the funeral service for Staff Sergeant William Cola will take place at Louterwater in the Sarah Baartman District Muncipality He was among the 14 SANDF members who tragically lost their lives during an engagement in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in January Mabuyane will use this moment to pay tribute to the bravery and sacrifice of SSgt Cola and his counterparts acknowledging their dedication to peacekeeping efforts on the African continent The Eastern Cape Provincial Government extends its deepest condolences to the families of the fallen soldiers “The loss of Staff Sergeant Cola and his fellow soldiers is a painful reminder of the sacrifices our servicemen and women make to uphold peace and stability “We honour their bravery and dedication to protecting the vulnerable Their service will never be forgotten” an exclusive podcast on the life of Vicki Terblanche Dive into the expansive world of motoring with Naresh Maharaj Join Mark Marshall as he shares his extraordinary encounters with everything from bees to reptiles i AVBOB celebrates a milestone by rewarding its members on a large scale JEFFREYS BAY - The funeral of Staff Sergeant William Cola is being held in his home town of Louterwater in the Eastern Cape.  He is the last of the 14 SANDF soldiers killed in Eastern DRC last month eNCA reporter Naomi-Lisa Kobbie is there for us Home | South Africa The 42-year-old South African National Defence Force (SANDF) soldier will be buried in Louterwater in the Eastern Cape on Sunday Sergeant Cola was among the 14 SANDF members who died during a skirmish in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in January the family is very emotional and fragile and it’s understandable Since the arrival of the latest Sargeant in Pretoria we’ve been in close contact with the family The chaplain of the division and the social workers have been coming in and out to the family there was some medical care that had to be provided towards the family because of the situation in the family.” Sign up for our daily Newsletter and stay up to date with all the latest news You are receiving this pop-up because this is the first time you are visiting our site You are using software which is blocking our advertisements (adblocker) we are relying on revenues from our banners So please disable your adblocker and reload the page to continue using this site.Thanks a valley straddling the Western and the Eastern Cape are entering the blossoming period after a winter with good cold units "Generally farmers in the Langkloof are feeling pretty optimistic about the season ahead," notes a marketer.  which would be welcome - it's been a dry winter Mid-September Nova Donna peach blooms in the Langkloof (photo by Gawie le Roux) The earliest pears - early Bon Chretiens (Bartlett/Williams) and Forelle are past flowering The early Panorama Goldens and the local Granny Smith mutation have finished flowering but the majority of apple varieties are not yet in full bloom Growers have started putting bees in their Kanzi orchards Many farm dams are close to full but it's variable throughout the valley: some farm dams around Misgund and Louterwater are not far from empty and a technical advisor warns that some areas have 35% to 40% of the water they're going to need for the rest of the season the possibility of an average to above-average rainfall season has been raised Langkloof rain for Gamtoos citrus orchardsThe Langkloof has another important function: it is the water catchment area for the Kouga Dam in the nearby Gamtoos Valley known for the citrus and vegetable production of Hankey and Patensie For years now the Kouga Dam has been drying up the dismal level from which it turned around two years ago and citrus and vegetable growers have to function with only 20% of their water allocation Farmers in the Gamtoos Valley are anxiously looking at the Langkloof's weather FreshPublishers © 2005-2025 FreshPlaza.com The Deputy Minister of Defence, Bantu Holomisa, says the department will hold a debriefing where they will look at the incidents that led to the deaths of the 14 soldiers in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Holomisa was attending the funeral service of slain South African National Defence Force (SANDF) member Staff Sergeant “We will be doing a debrief after the incident of the DRC and in doing the debrief we will look at whether there were mistakes on our side and whether those mistakes can be verified and if those mistakes need national treasury obviously we will follow procedure,” says Holomisa Funeral Speech I delivered today in honour of our fallen soldiers in the DRC at Staff Sergeant WE Cola’s funeral at Louterwater Sportsfield in the Eastern Cape @SANDF_ZA pic.twitter.com/MD5ESNVRI3 — Bantu Holomisa (@BantuHolomisa) March 1, 2025 In memory of Staff Sergeant WE Cola. May his soul rest in peace. pic.twitter.com/shK71VGrRO — Bantu Holomisa (@BantuHolomisa) March 1, 2025 Meanwhile, Eastern Cape Premier, Oscar Mabuyane, says they will work with municipalities to honour slain Staff Sergeant William Cola. Mabuyane says Cola died a hero and should be recognised. “ Because he is our son, he is our hero, we will definitely work with municipalities, the province to find something, especially, to use him as a role model and posthumously for the young kids that are growing up. I would love to see the SANDF come here and put more young people in the career.” In the days leading up to his death SA soldier William Cola sent his mother a message no parent wants to read — that he was coming home in a body bag.Staff Sergeant Cola is one of the 14 members of the SA National Defence Force killed in fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo in January.. Questions or problems? 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