Well-known Velly Mtileni is no more

Yet another well-known community leader, the 58-year-old Mr Velly “Mkhondo” Mtileni, passed away last Friday (13^th) due to Covid-related problems.

Mtileni was admitted to the Netcare Pholoso hotel in Polokwane, where he died. At the time of his death, he was the secretary of the revived Vuwani Development Forum. In his professional life he was a teacher.

During his heydays, he was a well-known soccer referee for the Venda Football Association and Great Northeast Province league.

Mtileni will be remembered for his efforts to unite people in the Vuwani area, and he assisted with the merging of the Pro-Makhado Task Team and the Vuwani Demarcation Task Team to form one organisation earlier this year. Prior to this merger, the two parties battled for years to reach consensus on matters. While this was continuing, the communities were becoming more divided.

Tribal factions formed, where Venda-speaking residents were seen to be supporting the Pro-Makhado Task Team, while the Tsonga-speaking people were supposedly supporting the new Collins Chabane municipality. The animosity started in 2016 when the Demarcation Board announced that Vuwani would move from the Makhado Local Municipality to the Collins Chabane Local Municipality that was to be established.

A family member and younger brother of Mtileni, Mr Cedrick Mtileni, said they were still absorbing the pian of losing one of their beloved members. “We are greatly saddened by his death, but we will have to accept it, because God’s will has been done. May his soul rest in peace.” He said the family was proud to have produced “one of the most valuable members of the community”.

Mtileni said that Velly had played a big role in uplifting the standard of soccer and education in the local community.

The chairperson of the Vuwani Development Forum, Mr Arnold Mulaudzi, described Mtileni as a community builder of note “who was larger than life. He was always there when we needed him. Now that he is gone, we are afraid that no one will ever fill his shoes, because he is irreplaceable”.

Mulaudzi said that the forum and family had lost one of its pillars, someone who had always been working hard towards the development of the community. “The whole area was shocked when we heard of his untimely death. We have been with him for many years.”

Mtileni will be buried on Friday (20^th) at Ha-Davhana.

Date:19 August 2021

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.

Read: 1849