The Rehoboth community and representatives of Namibia's sports fraternity came out in numbers to attend a memorial service in honour of a father, his two sons, and a close friend who died in a fatal road crash near the town last Saturday.

Hundreds of people gathered at the Dr. Lemmer High School sports fields as Rehoboth mourned the deaths of a father, Ettienne Coetzee, his two sons, Edmando and Ethan, and their close friend, Grecshlinn Bruwer, who died in the accident 10 kilometres outside Rehoboth when the car they were travelling in hit a cow and crashed into an oncoming truck. 

Emotions were raw and uncontained as heart-wrenching moments played out at the memorial service. 

Many other speakers spoke about the immeasurable void left by the deaths of the fallen members of the community. 

Ettienne was the chairperson of the Reho Falcons Rugby Club, while his two sons and Bruwer played for the club. 

They were on the way to Rehoboth after playing Wanderers in Windhoek in a Premier Rugby League encounter when the road crash happened on that fateful Saturday evening. 

Former national rugby coach and Vice President of the Namibia Rugby Union, Johan Diergaardt, carried with him a message of condolence.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Namibia Sports Commission, Freddy Mwiya, said there is a need to keep alive the legacy of those who died in the incident.

The motto of Reho Falcon Rugby Club is Veni Vidi Vici, a Latin phrase attributed to Roman emperor Julius Ceasar, which means 'I came, I saw, I conquered', and for Shaun van Rooi, the club representative, the club and those connected to it must conquer the losses and emerge stronger.

Reverend Heinz Mouton of the Rhenish Church related the story of Walker McCarthy, who wrote in his book, Collateral Beauty, that three things drive every act of human existence: the longing for love, the desire for more time, and a fear of death. 

Players of the Reho Falcon Rugby Club also released balloons in the red and black colours of the club, while Walvisbay rap artist Eduardo concluded with a moving tribute.

Coetzee's wife, Louisa, who was injured in the road crash, is still recovering in the Intensive Care Unit of a Windhoek hospital, where her condition is described as stable, while their remaining ten-year-old son Luke has since been discharged.