Well-known journalist killed in car crash

The journalism industry and readership has lost an excellent journalist, Suprise Mazibila.

He died in hospital on 26 June, two days after he was involved in a vehicle accident near Mbombela in Mpumalanga. Mazibila was a journalist for Sowetan.

He earned himself respect in the Vhembe district when he penned hard-hitting human interest stories which elicited interest and curiosity among readers. He wrote the controversial story about racially separate toilets at the Vleissentraal office block in Louis Trichardt.

The news editor at Sowetan, Mr Lucas Ledwaba, said that it was very tragic, since Mazibila was a young man with a lot of potential. He said that it would be an understatement to say that his death was a great loss. “He was starting to make ways in Mpumalanga when his life was unfortunately cut short. He was a very humble and intelligent young man. We want to take this moment to thank the people of Vhembe for taking care of this man when he was in Vhembe last year.”

A close friend to Mazibila, Kaizer Nengovhela, is still shocked by his death. He described Mazibila as the type of journalist who always wanted perfection and would research his stories before going to press. “Suprise, or Motsonga wa xibiri as I would call him, was a man in a league of his own,” said Nengovhela. The seasoned journalist Wilson Dzebu said onFacebook about Mazibila's death: “I'm shattered. He was one of the best writers I ever came across.!”

Another veteran writer, poet and editor, Goodenough Mashego, said: “Mazibila's death is a daylight robbery to us all. A bird flew off and we remain with feathers.” Mazibila's sister, Angy Khoza, said that her brother was a crown of love and motivation among the youths in the village.

He will be laid to rest at Acornhoek Matsikitsane on Sunday morning.

Date:03 July 2015

By: Tshifhiwa Mukwevho

Tshifhiwa Given Mukwevho was born in 1984 in Madombidzha village, not far from Louis Trichardt in the Limpopo Province. After submitting articles for roughly a year for Limpopo Mirror's youth supplement, Makoya, he started writing for the main newspaper. He is a prolific writer who published his first book, titled A Traumatic Revenge in 2011. It focusses on life on the street and how to survive amidst poverty. His second book titled The Violent Gestures of Life was published in 2014.

Read: 2937