{"id":305206,"date":"2025-10-24T13:55:12","date_gmt":"2025-10-24T11:55:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/grief-stricken-family-of-drowned-victim-turns-to-crowdfunding-for-funeral-expenses\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T16:42:46","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T14:42:46","slug":"grief-stricken-family-of-drowned-victim-turns-to-crowdfunding-for-funeral-expenses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/grief-stricken-family-of-drowned-victim-turns-to-crowdfunding-for-funeral-expenses\/","title":{"rendered":"Grief-stricken family of drowned victim turns to crowdfunding for funeral expenses"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>BLOEMFONTEIN<\/strong> \u2013 The grief-stricken family of Benjamin van Wyk who died after <a href=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloem-express\/body-of-young-bloemfontein-man-recovered-from-quarry-of-death-seven-days-after-drowning\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">drowning in the Witherow quarry in Heidedal<\/a> are turning to crowdfunding for funeral costs because they cannot afford the expense. Police divers retrieved his body yesterday, on Thursday 23 October, seven days after he had tragically drowned in the waters during a swimming adventure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The date for the funeral is yet to be determined as the family is also awaiting the postmortem. Van Wyk (20) tragically drowned on 16 October. Despite relief after his body was recovered, distress over funeral expenses is another difficult part of the tragic chapter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Only the victim&#8217;s mother, Elizabeth van Wyk, is working \u2013 and the father, Llowallen Minnie, is unemployed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Hamlet-Scheepers-member-of-the-Heidedal-Neighbourhood-Association-with-Llowallen-Minnie--1024x482.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-269024\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Hamlet Scheepers, member of the Heidedal Neighbourhood Association, and Llowallen Minnie at the Witherow quarry where Benjamin drowned. PHOTO: Teboho Setena<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;As the family \u2013 Van Wyk and Minnie \u2013 we are appealing for any help towards Benjamin&#8217;s funeral, and we will appreciate any such help to bury him with dignity. My wife is the sole breadwinner providing for our family of four. It would have been a different matter if I were working,&#8221; said Minnie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hamlet Scheepers, member of the Heidedal Neighbourhood Association, has called on the community to continue supporting the bereaved family. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;As members of the association, we are appealing to show our kindness as the community, making any contribution towards the funeral costs. Their financial constraints due to unemployment is the reality of our daily lives, hence we are also appealing for any help from the community. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;As the association, we are continuing to support the affected family,&#8221; said Scheepers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The arrangements for the funeral will be made known once the police have completed the postmortem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Those willing to assist can contact Scheepers 065 578 500.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Family of drowned victim appealing for aid towards funeral<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":305199,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":"70","_yoast_wpseo_content_score":"60","_yoast_wpseo_inclusive_language_score":"90","_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_crsspst_to_novanewscoza":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozacityvision":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozadistrictmailhelderberg":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaeikestadnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozahermanustimes":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakomani-karoo":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakougaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozamthathaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozanoordkaapbulletin":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapaarlpost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeoplespost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaswartlandgazette":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozatygerburger":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaudexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavistanews":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavrystaatkroon":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweskusnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweslander":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaworcesterstandard":false,"_eb_attr":"","_EventAllDay":"","_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":"","_EventShowMapLink":"","_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":"","_EventVenueID":"","_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":"","_VenueShowMapLink":"","_application":"","_batch_id":"","_company_name":"","_company_tagline":"","_company_twitter":"","_company_video":"","_company_website":"","_custom_id":"","_EventDuration":"","_EventOrigin":"","_EventTimezoneAbbr":"","_featured":"","_filled":"","_job_expires":"","_job_location":"","_media_credit":"","_media_credit_url":"","_menu_item_menu_item_parent":"","_menu_item_object":"","_menu_item_object_id":"","_menu_item_target":"","_menu_item_type":"","_menu_item_url":"","_menu_item_xfn":"","_navis_media_can_distribute":"","_navis_media_credit_org":"","_OrganizerOrigin":"","_provider":"","_pum_built_in":"","_pum_default_theme":"","_pum_form_conversion_count":"","_remote_id":"","_remote_name":"","_remote_position":"","_report_frequency":"","_report_reference_dates":"","_send_attempts":"","_site_id":"","_sitemap_exclude":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","_sitemap_priority":"","_source_url":"","_subscription_period":"","_subscription_period_interval":"","_subscription_price":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":"","_template_type":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_tribe_aggregator_allow_multiple_organizers":"","_tribe_aggregator_content_type":"","_tribe_aggregator_file":"","_tribe_aggregator_finalized":"","_tribe_aggregator_hash":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_id":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_interactive":"","_tribe_aggregator_origin":"","_tribe_aggregator_post_status":"","_tribe_aggregator_preview":"","_tribe_aggregator_source_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_type":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_hide_attendees_list":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":"","_tribe_ticket_version":"","_type":"","_VenueOrigin":"","_wp_attachment_context":"","_wp_attachment_image_alt":"","_wp_font_face_file":"","_wp_old_date":"","_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":"2","_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"[{\"keyword\":\"Benjamin \",\"score\":81}]","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"[\"\",\"\"]","_yoast_wpseo_primary_block-catalog":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"1","_yoast_wpseo_primary_job_listing_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_nova_retailer":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_publication":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_tribe_events_cat":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-duration":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-rating":"","_menu_item_classes":[],"_tribe_modified_fields":[],"_wp_attachment_backup_sizes":[],"_wp_suggested_privacy_policy_content":[],"_yoast_post_redirect_info":[],"_yoast_wpseo_video_meta":[],"activation_date":"","archive_insertion_is_repeating":"","archive_insertion_posts_count":"","article_feature_media":"","article_feature_type":"","article_main_image_caption":"","article_media_icon":"","article_template":"","author_byline":"","background_color":"","block_editor":"1","byline":"","cmplz_hide_cookiebanner":"","competition_end_date":"","contact_advertise_email":"","contact_advertise_phone":"","contact_editorial_email":"","contact_general_email":"","contact_general_phone":"","contact_office_hours":"","contact_physical_address":"","enabled":"","featured_image_custom_caption":"","featured_video_url":"","fields":"","font_body":"","font_header":"","frequency":"","headline":"","hide_border":"","icon":"","is_wp_suggestion":"","issuu_download_url":"","issuu_embed_url":"","language_version_url":"","large_border":"","name":"","nm_contact_name":"","nm_contact_number":"","nm_date_lost":"","no_overlay_background":"","node-url":"","obituary_born_date":"","obituary_died_date":"","obituary_memoriam_text":"","origin":"","overlay_color":"","overlay_opacity":"","overlay_size":"","placement":"","plural_label":"","post_author":"","post_id":"","post_language":"en","secret-key":"","sponsored_utm_campaign":"","sponsored_utm_content":"","sponsored_utm_medium":"","sponsored_utm_source":"","sponsored_utm_term":"","start_date":"","utm_suppression":"","video_embed_url":"","wp_pattern_sync_status":"","data_version":[],"enclosure":[""],"pongrass_image":[""],"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"scaip_prevent_shortcode_addition":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[7874,91],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"publication":[],"class_list":["post-305206","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-local-news","tag-top"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.8 (Yoast SEO v27.8) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Grief-Stricken Family of Drowned Victim Needs Support | BloemNews Express<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The grief-stricken family of a drowned victim seeks crowdfunding for funeral expenses. Help support them during this tragic time.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/grief-stricken-family-of-drowned-victim-turns-to-crowdfunding-for-funeral-expenses\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Grief-stricken family of drowned victim turns to crowdfunding for funeral expenses\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The grief-stricken family of a drowned victim seeks crowdfunding for funeral expenses. Help support them during this tragic time.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/grief-stricken-family-of-drowned-victim-turns-to-crowdfunding-for-funeral-expenses\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"BloemNews Express\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/bloemnuus\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-10-24T11:55:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-31T14:42:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Police-divers-snapped-after-retrieving-the-body-of-Benjamin-Van-Wyk-from-the-quarry.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1439\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Teboho Setena\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Teboho Setena\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/bloemnewsexpress\\\/grief-stricken-family-of-drowned-victim-turns-to-crowdfunding-for-funeral-expenses\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/bloemnewsexpress\\\/grief-stricken-family-of-drowned-victim-turns-to-crowdfunding-for-funeral-expenses\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Teboho Setena\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/bloemnewsexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/43a385fee12dd5baf7f0fb641c788185\"},\"headline\":\"Grief-stricken family of drowned victim turns to crowdfunding for funeral expenses\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-10-24T11:55:12+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-31T14:42:46+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/bloemnewsexpress\\\/grief-stricken-family-of-drowned-victim-turns-to-crowdfunding-for-funeral-expenses\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":301,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/bloemnewsexpress\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/bloemnewsexpress\\\/grief-stricken-family-of-drowned-victim-turns-to-crowdfunding-for-funeral-expenses\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/bloemnewsexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/Police-divers-snapped-after-retrieving-the-body-of-Benjamin-Van-Wyk-from-the-quarry.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Local News\",\"Top\"],\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/bloemnewsexpress\\\/grief-stricken-family-of-drowned-victim-turns-to-crowdfunding-for-funeral-expenses\\\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2025\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/bloemnewsexpress\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/bloemnewsexpress\\\/grief-stricken-family-of-drowned-victim-turns-to-crowdfunding-for-funeral-expenses\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/bloemnewsexpress\\\/grief-stricken-family-of-drowned-victim-turns-to-crowdfunding-for-funeral-expenses\\\/\",\"name\":\"Grief-Stricken Family of Drowned Victim Needs Support | BloemNews Express\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/bloemnewsexpress\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/bloemnewsexpress\\\/grief-stricken-family-of-drowned-victim-turns-to-crowdfunding-for-funeral-expenses\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/bloemnewsexpress\\\/grief-stricken-family-of-drowned-victim-turns-to-crowdfunding-for-funeral-expenses\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/bloemnewsexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/Police-divers-snapped-after-retrieving-the-body-of-Benjamin-Van-Wyk-from-the-quarry.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-10-24T11:55:12+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-31T14:42:46+00:00\",\"description\":\"The grief-stricken family of a drowned victim seeks crowdfunding for funeral expenses. Help support them during this tragic time.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/bloemnewsexpress\\\/grief-stricken-family-of-drowned-victim-turns-to-crowdfunding-for-funeral-expenses\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/bloemnewsexpress\\\/grief-stricken-family-of-drowned-victim-turns-to-crowdfunding-for-funeral-expenses\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/bloemnewsexpress\\\/grief-stricken-family-of-drowned-victim-turns-to-crowdfunding-for-funeral-expenses\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/bloemnewsexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/Police-divers-snapped-after-retrieving-the-body-of-Benjamin-Van-Wyk-from-the-quarry.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/bloemnewsexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/Police-divers-snapped-after-retrieving-the-body-of-Benjamin-Van-Wyk-from-the-quarry.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1439},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/bloemnewsexpress\\\/grief-stricken-family-of-drowned-victim-turns-to-crowdfunding-for-funeral-expenses\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/bloemnewsexpress\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/bloemnewsexpress\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Grief-stricken family of drowned victim turns to crowdfunding for funeral expenses\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/bloemnewsexpress\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/bloemnewsexpress\\\/\",\"name\":\"BloemNuus\",\"description\":\"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/bloemnewsexpress\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/bloemnewsexpress\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/bloemnewsexpress\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"BloemNuus\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/bloemnewsexpress\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/bloemnewsexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/bloemnewsexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/bloem-nuus-site-icon.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/bloemnewsexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/bloem-nuus-site-icon.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"BloemNuus\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/bloemnewsexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/bloemnuus\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/bloemnuus\"],\"description\":\"BloemNews is a prominent newspaper in Bloemfontein, the capital of the Free State province in South Africa. BloemNews serves the local community with coverage of regional news, events, and issues of interest. The newspaper provides updates on a variety of topics, including local politics, business, sports, and social matters, with a focus on the city and surrounding areas. Its publication is a reflection of Bloemfontein\u2019s vibrant community, catering to both English and Afrikaans-speaking readers. It also serves as an important platform for local advertising, businesses, and public announcements. In Bloemfontein, BloemNews is often considered a key source of information.\",\"email\":\"bloemnuus@novusmedia.co.za\",\"telephone\":\"051-4047600\",\"legalName\":\"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd\",\"foundingDate\":\"2025-01-01\",\"vatID\":\"4100318916\",\"taxID\":\"2000\\\/018234\\\/07\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":\"51\",\"maxValue\":\"200\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/bloemnewsexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/43a385fee12dd5baf7f0fb641c788185\",\"name\":\"Teboho Setena\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/705eca244f2c0f567be098942fe4dcc28886568f851841c1128db4cfd7e7cb64?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/705eca244f2c0f567be098942fe4dcc28886568f851841c1128db4cfd7e7cb64?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/705eca244f2c0f567be098942fe4dcc28886568f851841c1128db4cfd7e7cb64?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Teboho Setena\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/bloemnewsexpress\\\/author\\\/teboho-setena\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Grief-Stricken Family of Drowned Victim Needs Support | BloemNews Express","description":"The grief-stricken family of a drowned victim seeks crowdfunding for funeral expenses. Help support them during this tragic time.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/grief-stricken-family-of-drowned-victim-turns-to-crowdfunding-for-funeral-expenses\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Grief-stricken family of drowned victim turns to crowdfunding for funeral expenses","og_description":"The grief-stricken family of a drowned victim seeks crowdfunding for funeral expenses. Help support them during this tragic time.","og_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/grief-stricken-family-of-drowned-victim-turns-to-crowdfunding-for-funeral-expenses\/","og_site_name":"BloemNews Express","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/bloemnuus\/","article_published_time":"2025-10-24T11:55:12+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-03-31T14:42:46+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1439,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Police-divers-snapped-after-retrieving-the-body-of-Benjamin-Van-Wyk-from-the-quarry.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Teboho Setena","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Teboho Setena","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/grief-stricken-family-of-drowned-victim-turns-to-crowdfunding-for-funeral-expenses\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/grief-stricken-family-of-drowned-victim-turns-to-crowdfunding-for-funeral-expenses\/"},"author":{"name":"Teboho Setena","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/#\/schema\/person\/43a385fee12dd5baf7f0fb641c788185"},"headline":"Grief-stricken family of drowned victim turns to crowdfunding for funeral expenses","datePublished":"2025-10-24T11:55:12+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-31T14:42:46+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/grief-stricken-family-of-drowned-victim-turns-to-crowdfunding-for-funeral-expenses\/"},"wordCount":301,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/grief-stricken-family-of-drowned-victim-turns-to-crowdfunding-for-funeral-expenses\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Police-divers-snapped-after-retrieving-the-body-of-Benjamin-Van-Wyk-from-the-quarry.jpg","keywords":["Local News","Top"],"articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/grief-stricken-family-of-drowned-victim-turns-to-crowdfunding-for-funeral-expenses\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2025","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/grief-stricken-family-of-drowned-victim-turns-to-crowdfunding-for-funeral-expenses\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/grief-stricken-family-of-drowned-victim-turns-to-crowdfunding-for-funeral-expenses\/","name":"Grief-Stricken Family of Drowned Victim Needs Support | BloemNews Express","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/grief-stricken-family-of-drowned-victim-turns-to-crowdfunding-for-funeral-expenses\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/grief-stricken-family-of-drowned-victim-turns-to-crowdfunding-for-funeral-expenses\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Police-divers-snapped-after-retrieving-the-body-of-Benjamin-Van-Wyk-from-the-quarry.jpg","datePublished":"2025-10-24T11:55:12+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-31T14:42:46+00:00","description":"The grief-stricken family of a drowned victim seeks crowdfunding for funeral expenses. Help support them during this tragic time.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/grief-stricken-family-of-drowned-victim-turns-to-crowdfunding-for-funeral-expenses\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/grief-stricken-family-of-drowned-victim-turns-to-crowdfunding-for-funeral-expenses\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/grief-stricken-family-of-drowned-victim-turns-to-crowdfunding-for-funeral-expenses\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Police-divers-snapped-after-retrieving-the-body-of-Benjamin-Van-Wyk-from-the-quarry.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Police-divers-snapped-after-retrieving-the-body-of-Benjamin-Van-Wyk-from-the-quarry.jpg","width":2560,"height":1439},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/grief-stricken-family-of-drowned-victim-turns-to-crowdfunding-for-funeral-expenses\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Grief-stricken family of drowned victim turns to crowdfunding for funeral expenses"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/#website","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/","name":"BloemNuus","description":"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-ZA"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/#organization","name":"BloemNuus","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/bloem-nuus-site-icon.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/bloem-nuus-site-icon.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"BloemNuus"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/bloemnuus\/","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/bloemnuus"],"description":"BloemNews is a prominent newspaper in Bloemfontein, the capital of the Free State province in South Africa. BloemNews serves the local community with coverage of regional news, events, and issues of interest. The newspaper provides updates on a variety of topics, including local politics, business, sports, and social matters, with a focus on the city and surrounding areas. Its publication is a reflection of Bloemfontein\u2019s vibrant community, catering to both English and Afrikaans-speaking readers. It also serves as an important platform for local advertising, businesses, and public announcements. In Bloemfontein, BloemNews is often considered a key source of information.","email":"bloemnuus@novusmedia.co.za","telephone":"051-4047600","legalName":"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd","foundingDate":"2025-01-01","vatID":"4100318916","taxID":"2000\/018234\/07","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"51","maxValue":"200"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/#\/schema\/person\/43a385fee12dd5baf7f0fb641c788185","name":"Teboho Setena","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/705eca244f2c0f567be098942fe4dcc28886568f851841c1128db4cfd7e7cb64?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/705eca244f2c0f567be098942fe4dcc28886568f851841c1128db4cfd7e7cb64?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/705eca244f2c0f567be098942fe4dcc28886568f851841c1128db4cfd7e7cb64?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Teboho Setena"},"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/author\/teboho-setena\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Police-divers-snapped-after-retrieving-the-body-of-Benjamin-Van-Wyk-from-the-quarry.jpg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":270547,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/body-of-young-bloemfontein-man-recovered-from-quarry-of-death-seven-days-after-drowning\/","url_meta":{"origin":305206,"position":0},"title":"Body of young Bloemfontein man recovered from Quarry of Death seven days after drowning","author":"Teboho Setena","date":"23 October 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"\"We are relieved as the family that Benjamin's body has been found. We are thankful to every person who has been supporting us.\"","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Police-divers-snapped-after-retrieving-the-body-of-Benjamin-Van-Wyk-from-the-quarry.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Police-divers-snapped-after-retrieving-the-body-of-Benjamin-Van-Wyk-from-the-quarry.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Police-divers-snapped-after-retrieving-the-body-of-Benjamin-Van-Wyk-from-the-quarry.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Police-divers-snapped-after-retrieving-the-body-of-Benjamin-Van-Wyk-from-the-quarry.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Police-divers-snapped-after-retrieving-the-body-of-Benjamin-Van-Wyk-from-the-quarry.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Police-divers-snapped-after-retrieving-the-body-of-Benjamin-Van-Wyk-from-the-quarry.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":305171,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/quarry-marked-by-multiple-tragic-deaths-after-another-victim-perishes-during-swimming-adventure\/","url_meta":{"origin":305206,"position":1},"title":"Quarry marked by multiple tragic deaths after another victim perishes during swimming adventure\u00a0","author":"BloemNews Express","date":"22 October 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"BLOEMFOTNEIN: The drowning of Benjamin van Wyk (20) in the Witherow quarry in Heidedal extends the list of victims who tragically perish while attempting to swim in the still and deep blue waters. The\u00a0body has not surfaced yet five days after the victim drowned at daytime on Thursday, 16 October.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/BenjaminVanWyk_10933-scaled-e1761110286774.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/BenjaminVanWyk_10933-scaled-e1761110286774.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/BenjaminVanWyk_10933-scaled-e1761110286774.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/BenjaminVanWyk_10933-scaled-e1761110286774.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/BenjaminVanWyk_10933-scaled-e1761110286774.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":306155,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/couple-caught-in-griefs-grip-after-a-dog-killed-a-child-are-pleading-for-assistance-for-the-funeral\/","url_meta":{"origin":305206,"position":2},"title":"Couple caught in grief&#8217;s grip after a dog killed a child are pleading for assistance for the funeral","author":"Teboho Setena","date":"4 March 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Couple appealing for assistance with their child's funeral costs","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/The-Lion-family-property-whose-child-died-after-being-attacked-by-a-dog-.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/The-Lion-family-property-whose-child-died-after-being-attacked-by-a-dog-.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/The-Lion-family-property-whose-child-died-after-being-attacked-by-a-dog-.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/The-Lion-family-property-whose-child-died-after-being-attacked-by-a-dog-.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/The-Lion-family-property-whose-child-died-after-being-attacked-by-a-dog-.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/The-Lion-family-property-whose-child-died-after-being-attacked-by-a-dog-.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"BloemNews Express","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/305206","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/31"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=305206"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/305206\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":305208,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/305206\/revisions\/305208"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/305199"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=305206"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=305206"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=305206"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=305206"},{"taxonomy":"publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/bloemnewsexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication?post=305206"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}