“Fearless fighter” Daniel Nembambula buried

The executive mayor of Vhembe District Municipality, Cllr Tshitereke Matibe, described the late traffic manager of Musina Municipality, Mr Muvhango Daniel Nembambula, as a fearless fighter who dedicated his life to the development of his community until his last day on earth.

Matibe was addressing more than 3 000 mourners who paid their last respects to Nembumbula during his full state funeral service at Guyuni village. “Nembumbula was a distinguished freedom fighter who joined the struggle during difficult times. By joining the military wing of the ANC, Umkhonto we Sizwe, he contributed immensely to the freedom we are enjoying today as a united nation. This is a very sad moment for all of us who are gathered here today,” said Matibe.

“Instead of shedding a tear, we must also go down memory lane and remember the good things that Nembambula did for this community while he was still alive. It flashes in our minds that South Africa is a better place today because of the contributions made by heroes like him.”

Speaking earlier during the memorial service, Musina Mayor Mihloti Ramoyada said it was rare to find people who were dedicated to their work in the way that Nembambula demonstrated during his lifetime. “Despite the fact that he was sick, he demonstrated strong leadership skills while serving as traffic manager in this municipality. He loved his work so dearly that he was admitted to hospital in full work uniform after leading a road safety campaign in town. The family should know that we are with them during this difficult time. Your loss is ours, too. Nembambula was one of us. We must unite to ensure that his efforts to make Musina a better place were not in vain. May his soul rest in peace.”

Mpfariseni Kwinda, who spoke on behalf of the family during the funeral service, said the family was devastated by the loss of their loved one. “We understand that he was ill, but we thought he would recover and live a normal life as we were still expecting many things from him. It is also very important to thank his loving and caring wife, Tshifhiwa Nembambula, who stood firmly by her husband, even when he was seriously ill. We would also like to thank Musina Municipality for not terminating his services, despite the fact that he was sick. Even though we have lost our loved one, we would also like to thank God for giving us a wonderful gift in the form of the ever-smiling Nemabambula.”

Kwinda said Nembambula requested the elders of his church to baptize him for the second time just two weeks before he died. “He was already baptized in his youth but he said it was done while he could not really understand the importance of baptism. His beautiful spirit will live on through his wife and children, and they will always know how much he loved them. He tried with all his heart to stay for them, but God called him, and he had to go.”

The 41-year-old Nembambula was born on 8 January 1973 at Maranda. After completing Grade 12, he joined the ANC military wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe. In 1995, he joined the South African National Defence Force. He also worked as a high-ranking security official with the Department of Health before he became a traffic officer in 1997. Between 1997 and 2010, he worked as a provincial traffic inspector, senior provincial traffic inspector and principal traffic inspector. He then joined Musina municipality as traffic manager in October 2010.

As a staunch member of the New Zion City Apostolic Church, Nembambula led the youth wing of the church for 12 years in succession before he was ordained as a deacon. During the time of his death, he was an evangelist and chairperson of the Dzumbama branch of the church. Besides being a farmer, he also served as the chairperson of the local civic association and ran a local amateur soccer team from his pocket.

Nembambula is survived by his wife, Tshifhiwa, three children, his father Ntshavheni and mother Mercy.

Date:11 July 2014

By: News Correspondent

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