Well-known disabled woman buried at Mbaleni

A strong mother who gave birth to two severely disabled daughters in succession and raised them under extremely difficult conditions received a terrible blow when one her beloved daughters passed away last week.

Ms Vele Masindi (70) is the mother of the famous inseparable disabled sisters from Limpopo, Avhahumi (43) and Azwifaneli (51) Masindi of Miluwani-Sokoutenda village outside Thohoyandou. Azwifaneli, who passed away after falling ill, was buried during an emotional but celebratory service at the Mbaleni graveyard on Sunday.

Last year, Avhahumi and Azwifaneli organized a thanksgiving party for their mother to show their appreciation for her contributions towards their successes in life.

With tears running down her face, Vele described the death of her daughter as a painful wound that will take a long time to heal.  “My two daughters were the apple of my eye, and I feel very sad now that one of them is gone. I will just have to face life without her, although I know that it will be very difficult from now.”

On the other hand, Avhahumi had this to say about her beloved sister: “We were just like bolt and nut and we worked hard together to build our business empire. Her death has seriously affected me and life will never be the same without her. I am deeply touched by her departure and she has left a gap that will be very difficult to fill – both as a family member and business partner.”

The late Azwifaneli and her sister Avhahumi jointly owned Mvudi Valley Trading 5, a company that specializes in supply and catering. Their company employs nine people.

Azwifaneli started her primary school at Letaba, Vandani, and later matriculated at Lwenzhe High School. During her lifetime, she always said that although she had come across difficult situations in her life, she comforted herself with her pride - her only son, Masala, who was born in 1993. She was a staunch member of the Revival Apostolic Christian Centre.

Besides other business ventures, Azwifaneli used to spend much of her time working in her vegetable garden. She used to sell her vegetables to the public.

Speakers at the funeral service described Azwifaneli as a courageous and hardworking woman, who demonstrated that disability should never be a stumbling block to success. She is survived by her mother, two brothers, one sister and her son, Masala.

Date:21 February 2014

By: News Correspondent

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