Agricultural giant laid to rest

Life came to a standstill at Sane on Saturday, as scores of members of the community, friends, family and dignitaries gathered to pay their last tribute to businessman, tomato king and farmer Ntuseni Jamson Nesane (74).

Nesane died on 12 November at Polokwane MediClinic after a long illness. He was a staunch member of the Zion Christian Church (ZCC).

Scores of mourners, including Khosikhulu Vho-Toni Mphephu Ramabulana, the MEC for Agriculture, Mapula Mokaba Phukwana, the mayor of the Makhado local municipality, Cllr Shonisani Sinyosi, delegates from the ZCC, many senior traditional leaders and community members attended the funeral.

Speakers emphasized that he was a fallen hero, who was involved in the battle towards the upgrading of his people’s lives. He was at the peak of his performance and his death was a blow to the nation, they said.

Mphephu Ramabulana described Nesane as a great man who had sacrificed his life to serve his people with distinction. “As a businessman and farmer, he played a major role in relation to community development initiatives. We will always remember him for the contributions he made to help poor children to pay their school fees.”

He described Nesane as a hardworking man who had a broad vision and said community members had consulted him on various matters, even their own private lives. He was always ready to assist with anything that he could provide, the king said.

MEC Phukwana said she was really touched by the untimely death of Nesane, one of Limpopo’s respected farmers. "We have really lost a leader in our province and it will be very difficult for us to replace him," she said. "We really value his contribution to Limpopo and the community. Losing a great leader like this also affects service delivery, because there were so many projects that he was facilitating in the community," she said.

Nesane is survived by his wives, 30 children, 81 grandchildren and 44 great-grandchildren.

Date:26 November 2016

By: Kaizer Nengovhela

Kaizer Nengovhela started writing stories for Limpopo Mirror in 2000. Prior to that he had a five year stint at Phala-Phala FM as sports presenter. In 2005 Kaizer received an award from the province's premier as Best Sports Presenter. The same year he was also nominated as Best Sports Reporter by the Makhado Municipality. Kaizer was awarded the Mathatha Tsedu award in 2014.

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