South Africa’s comedy darling Busisiwe Lurayi was laid to rest on Wednesday, more than a week after her lifeless body was discovered at her home.
Busisiwe Lurayi funeral highlights
A day after she was immortalised in the memories of friends, family and fans who attended the memorial service at the Market Theatre in Newtown, Johannesburg, Lurayi was accompanied to her final resting place, the Mooifontein cemetery.
Close friends and relatives of the How To Ruin Christmas star paid their final respects at a church service hosted by Penny Lebyane.
Lurayi’s close friend and work colleague, Lerato Mvelase, set the tone with a spine-chilling performance that paved the way for the first speaker, Lurayi’s father, Freddie Mokoena’s heart-wrenching last message to his daughter.
“I’m weak, but I’m not going to fall. I’ll stand for you… and Busi, I’m proud of you,” he siad.
Sonti, the sister of Lurayi’s late mother, Sandra, detailed the events that led to the discovery her niece’s lifeless body at her home, on the evening of Sunday, 10 July 2022.
“On July the 10th, when I called Busi, [her phone was on silent]. It was very uncharacteristic of her to not only not respond to a call, but to have her phone on silent for a longer period. As you’ve heard [that] Busi loved conversations, and the best way to have constant conversations with us was through the phone.
“I got that physiological sense that I really truly cannot explain to just drive to her house, and I acted like a lunatic aunt when I started hooting like a taxi driver [itching to overtake a car] but I didn’t stop. I didn’t stop until I called Freddie and asked him when last did he speak to Busi,” Sonti recalled.
Lurayi’s aunt added that she felt relieved when her niece’s father assured her that his granddaughter, Ayana, was safe and in his company.
“This man (Freddie) jumped the wall to get to his daughter. He jumped over the wall, got his spare keys and open the house, and Freddie, as you said, finding your child lying on the floor, is just unexplainable,” Sonti said.
What is the latest on Lurayi’s cause of death?
The decorated actress was laid to rest with no official cause of death listed as yet.
Based on the aunt’s account, it seems Lurayi may have been alone that fateful Sunday evening. While not much has been detailed about what condition Lurayi’s body was found in, the family, in a statement to Tshisa Live, confirmed that “other than signs of flu, there were no indicators of serious health problems.”
“No cause of death has been identified yet, but we are awaiting autopsy results and more information will be released at a later time,” the family revealed.
Lurayi is up for a category at this year’s South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs) for her work on Netflix’s How To Ruin Christmas.
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