An Eastern Cape man who survived a church guesthouse collapse in Nigeria and was trapped under tons of rubble for more than a day said getting up to fetch a spoon while in the building’s dining hall had probably saved his life.
Thobile Madyaka of Mdantsane lay trapped in a space measuring about 30cm high beneath the fallen building, saved only by a slab of concrete – and the forgotten spoon.
Speaking to the Saturday Dispatch this week, Madyaka said he was seated in the seven-storey building’s canteen for lunch when he realised he didn’t have a utensil to eat with.
“That turned out to be a blessing,” he said. “As I dashed back to the serving area to get the spoon and a cup of coffee, all hell broke loose.
“Walls and concrete slabs started to crumble and collapsed on most of those who were already seated enjoying their lunch at the tables,” recalled the 48-year-old, who this week arrived back on home soil from Nigeria.
Madyaka was trapped under the rubble for more than 26 hours and described his miraculous survival as “Gods work in action”.
He was one of a number of South Africans who survived the tragedy two weeks ago. Around 115 people – 84 of them South Africans – were killed when the guesthouse attached to the Synagogue Church of All Nations, run by Nigerian preacher TB Joshua, collapsed in Lagos on September 12.
Some 350 South Africans were thought to be visiting the church in the Ikotun-Egbe neighbourhood when the accident occurred.
Joshua, one of Nigeria’s most well-known evangelical preachers, draws thousands of followers from across the world, attracted by claims that he can cure almost any affliction.
Madyaka said he left South Africa on September 9 with just over a hundred other South Africans on a spiritual pilgrimage to the West African church.
The visit came after members of the group had undergone an intense screening process by the church to determine their reasons for undertaking the 10-hour trip to Nigeria.
“People go there for various reasons. Some believe that HIV/Aids and other terminal ailments can be cured,” said Madyaka. “Many people go there with their medical records and on arrival are advised not to stop taking their medical treatment.”
He said on arrival at Lagos, they were welcomed by a group of church staff at the airport. All their luggage was loaded into trucks before they were taken in buses on the two-hour drive to the church precinct.
They were later advised to hand over their passports to church officials and travel agents who had coordinated their visit.
“On arrival we were separated into groups,” he said. “I had decided to go on the trip after I was recently diagnosed with diabetes and my main problem was that I have also been smoking for more than 25 years and now was at a stage where I felt smoking was not healthy.”
He said his sister has also recently attended the church and came back a different person.
“I realised that the church had changed her and that’s what motivated me to go.”
On arrival at the church they were greeted by heavily armed security – he was told this was to protect the guests from “rogue elements” in the Nigerian capital. They attended bible lessons on their first night and the day before the collapse.
On the morning of September 12, a group was taken to the city centre to exchange South African rands for local currency. They returned by lunchtime and made their way to the dining hall on the ground floor of the building.
“Before we entered the dining hall, I was shocked by this small plane which was flying very close to our building,” he said. “We went in and dished our lunch of rice and fish before we headed to our tables to eat.
“I was already seated when I realised I had forgotten a spoon. I left my iPad, phone and file on the table and went to fetch a spoon and to make myself some coffee. And that is when all the trouble began.
“I heard a big bang coming from the far corner and I immediately saw walls cracking and a huge concrete slab falling down on us.
“As I was running something hit me on the head and I took a dive before it went all dark. There were loud screams, then silence before some people erupted in prayer.
“When I tried to stand up, I realised I could not as there was a huge concrete slab preventing me from doing so. The space I was in measured about the distance between my hand and elbow. If it was not for that spoon, I could have been crushed at those tables as well.”
Madyaka said there were other survivors but it was dark making it difficult to see one another. “We could not move except by crawling underneath the rubble,” he said.
A cellphone was eventually found and used for light.
It was then he realised there were “many” dead bodies around him.
“A lady who gripped my hand during the ordeal later succumbed and died in front of me. Others were bleeding heavily while others had their heads and limbs decapitated.”
He said rescue operations started immediately after the collapse, however he and a group of eight survivors trapped next to him were only rescued the following day after being trapped for more than 26 hours.
Madyaka said his diabetic condition was now controllable, that he had not smoked since going to Nigeria and that he would return to the church “any day”. — asandan@dispacth.co.za
VIDEO: How spoon saved me from collapse
Thobile Madyaka of Mdantsane lay trapped in a space measuring about 30cm high beneath the fallen building, saved only by a slab of concrete – and the forgotten spoon.
Speaking to the Saturday Dispatch this week, Madyaka said he was seated in the seven-storey building’s canteen for lunch when he realised he didn’t have a utensil to eat with.
“That turned out to be a blessing,” he said. “As I dashed back to the serving area to get the spoon and a cup of coffee, all hell broke loose.
“Walls and concrete slabs started to crumble and collapsed on most of those who were already seated enjoying their lunch at the tables,” recalled the 48-year-old, who this week arrived back on home soil from Nigeria.
Madyaka was trapped under the rubble for more than 26 hours and described his miraculous survival as “Gods work in action”.
He was one of a number of South Africans who survived the tragedy two weeks ago. Around 115 people – 84 of them South Africans – were killed when the guesthouse attached to the Synagogue Church of All Nations, run by Nigerian preacher TB Joshua, collapsed in Lagos on September 12.
Some 350 South Africans were thought to be visiting the church in the Ikotun-Egbe neighbourhood when the accident occurred.
Joshua, one of Nigeria’s most well-known evangelical preachers, draws thousands of followers from across the world, attracted by claims that he can cure almost any affliction.
Madyaka said he left South Africa on September 9 with just over a hundred other South Africans on a spiritual pilgrimage to the West African church.
The visit came after members of the group had undergone an intense screening process by the church to determine their reasons for undertaking the 10-hour trip to Nigeria.
“People go there for various reasons. Some believe that HIV/Aids and other terminal ailments can be cured,” said Madyaka. “Many people go there with their medical records and on arrival are advised not to stop taking their medical treatment.”
He said on arrival at Lagos, they were welcomed by a group of church staff at the airport. All their luggage was loaded into trucks before they were taken in buses on the two-hour drive to the church precinct.
They were later advised to hand over their passports to church officials and travel agents who had coordinated their visit.
“On arrival we were separated into groups,” he said. “I had decided to go on the trip after I was recently diagnosed with diabetes and my main problem was that I have also been smoking for more than 25 years and now was at a stage where I felt smoking was not healthy.”
He said his sister has also recently attended the church and came back a different person.
“I realised that the church had changed her and that’s what motivated me to go.”
On arrival at the church they were greeted by heavily armed security – he was told this was to protect the guests from “rogue elements” in the Nigerian capital. They attended bible lessons on their first night and the day before the collapse.
On the morning of September 12, a group was taken to the city centre to exchange South African rands for local currency. They returned by lunchtime and made their way to the dining hall on the ground floor of the building.
“Before we entered the dining hall, I was shocked by this small plane which was flying very close to our building,” he said. “We went in and dished our lunch of rice and fish before we headed to our tables to eat.
“I was already seated when I realised I had forgotten a spoon. I left my iPad, phone and file on the table and went to fetch a spoon and to make myself some coffee. And that is when all the trouble began.
“I heard a big bang coming from the far corner and I immediately saw walls cracking and a huge concrete slab falling down on us.
“As I was running something hit me on the head and I took a dive before it went all dark. There were loud screams, then silence before some people erupted in prayer.
“When I tried to stand up, I realised I could not as there was a huge concrete slab preventing me from doing so. The space I was in measured about the distance between my hand and elbow. If it was not for that spoon, I could have been crushed at those tables as well.”
Madyaka said there were other survivors but it was dark making it difficult to see one another. “We could not move except by crawling underneath the rubble,” he said.
A cellphone was eventually found and used for light.
It was then he realised there were “many” dead bodies around him.
“A lady who gripped my hand during the ordeal later succumbed and died in front of me. Others were bleeding heavily while others had their heads and limbs decapitated.”
He said rescue operations started immediately after the collapse, however he and a group of eight survivors trapped next to him were only rescued the following day after being trapped for more than 26 hours.
Madyaka said his diabetic condition was now controllable, that he had not smoked since going to Nigeria and that he would return to the church “any day”. — asandan@dispacth.co.za
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