Cape Town-based television producer Adele Lorenzo was among those who died when a Boeing 737 crashed in Nigeria on Saturday, a colleague confirmed.
”She was on a weekend domestic flight. She was working on a profile of certain investment projects in Nigeria,” E Roed, her colleague at the Cape Town offices of Africa Report, said on Monday.
She had also been a sales consultant during her 18 months with the company.
”She was a good-hearted person, a deep thinker, sensitive … I only have good things to say about her.”
A co-worker was still in Nigeria on Monday and would go to the crash site for identification and to see whether any belongings were retrieved.
”After that, we will have a funeral to honour her life,” Roed said.
The crash, north of Lagos, killed 117 people. The flight’s black box has been recovered, but the cause of the crash is not yet known.
The Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed that Lorenzo was on the plane. It has been in contact with her family.
The South African consul general in Lagos is in contact with the Nigerian foreign ministry and the Civil Aviation Authorities for further information on the matter.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma reiterated the condolences of the government and people of South Africa to bereaved families.
”Indeed, our thoughts and prayers reach out to those who lost their loved ones and offer our humble support during these trying moments,” she said, according to a statement from the department. — Sapa