A sad farewell to Granny Nyawasedza Mauda (92)

Hundreds of people from all corners of the Vhembe region and as far as Gauteng Province gathered at Matangari Tshiombo village near Makonde to pay their last respects to Granny Nyawasedza Mauda during her burial on Saturday, 17 February.

Granny Mauda (92), who died peacefully at her home on 8 February, was described as the mother of the people in Matangari and Tshiombo villages. She raised her six children, often using the money she got from making Tshivenda traditional beer to help pay the bills. Some of her children later became teachers, with one of her children becoming an agricultural officer.

She was also praised for taking care of other children in the village and was often referred to as the local “gift of the givers”. She was a staunch member of the Zion Christian Church (ZCC)’s Makonde branch.

One of her children, Mr Lufuno Mauda, who is a senior teacher at Matangari Primary School, said his mother had raised them under difficult conditions after their father, Phineas Mauda, had died in 1976. “There were no government grants during that time when my father passed away, but our hardworking and caring mother raised us,” he said.

He said that their mother had always encouraged them to work hard and to take education seriously. “She believed that, with a proper education, one can defeat poverty and unemployment,” said Lufuno Mauda.

Granny Mauda leaves behind 61 grandchildren and 45 great-grandchildren.

Date:01 March 2024

By: Silas Nduvheni

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