NATIONAL NEWS - A pastor in the Great Brak area, Marcel van der Merwe, and his family are mourning the death of their daughter and sister, Carla du Plessis (31).

Du Plessis died in a motor vehicle accident near Pretoria on 5 May.

Marcel, his wife, Sandra, and their son, Marcel Jr, are well known in the community. Tributes have been pouring in from all over for their heartbreaking loss.

Marcel Sr shared the news of their loss in a Facebook tribute to his daughter. "Our beautiful daughter Carla was violently taken from us in a car crash. We are in shock and it feels as if one is caught in a waking nightmare. 

"As I sit here in my room, my mind is surrounded with the echoes of her laughter and the constant thoughts of her. I struggle to find words to express this deep, cutting pain I feel. It feels like there's a big void, a depth of sorrow that wants to pull me under, making it hard to breathe. She was our light, a bundle of joy, a spirit so vibrant and full of life."

Marcel said Carla's dreams were vast, and that she and her husband Ajee were planning for the future, one filled with children. 

"We watched her grow, celebrating every moment in life. Now those moments are just memories that twist our hearts each time we recollect them. How can we reconcile her laughter with the reality of silence? How can we let go of the hopes we had for her and Ajee - the moments we will never share, the conversations we will never have?"

He said they deeply appreciate the condolences offered by friends and family. 

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