Care worker dies in horrific crash with truck; appeal raises EURO 8,000

By The Nationalist

IRELAND: MORE than €8,200 has been raised to help the family of a father of five who was killed instantly in a car crash last Monday.

Nkosana Sibanda was returning home from working as a carer Monday morning when his car collided with a truck in Barnhill outside Castledermot, killing him instantly.

Nkosana was originally from Zimbabwe and moved to Ireland in 2017. He’d been living in Baltinglass since 2022 with his wife Cingo and children, Maria (18), Priscilla (15), Michael (13), Malven (10) and two-year-old Miracle.

His devastated sister Mthandazo Sibanda set up a GoFundMe page to help the family cover the cost of bringing his remains back to his home in Zimbabwe, where his mother still lives.

“The family is devastated by this loss,” she said.

“As we come together to honour Nkosana’s memory and the life he lived, we are also faced with unexpected burden of funeral expenses.

We are raising funds to assist the family to repatriate the body back to Zimbabwe for burial. We are appealing for any donation that can assist us to bury my brother.

“Your generosity will allow us to give Nkosana Sibanda the dignified farewell he deserves, surrounded by the love of family and friends back home.”

Donations came pouring in after the fundraising appeal was set up, with the target being €10,000 to help cover the flights and funeral costs.

One of his co-workers paid tribute to him on the GoFundMe page saying: “Hope you get the best bed in heaven. It was a pleasure to work alongside you.

“You always had a great big smile every time I saw you.”

Baltinglass Town AFC donated to the fund, while condolences were paid by Baltinglass GAA Club, where Nkosana’s son Michael plays.

His friend Prince Belunda described Nkosana as a “very humble man” who was devoted to his family.

“Nkosana was a very good guy. He really loved his family and worked hard to provide for them,” Prince told The Nationalist.

Nkosana was described as a deeply religious man who was a preacher in The Zion Church in Clondalkin, where his family and friends held a 24-hour vigil for him over the weekend.

His community are comforting his wife Cingo and his children, who are struggling to come to terms with their loss.

Meanwhile, Gardaí (police) are investigating the fatal crash and are appealing for dashcam footage and information from the public.