Eddie Mtsweni
Scores of mourners gathered on Thursday at Tshepisa Primary School in Tembisa, Ekurhuleni, for a public memorial service for Nomvuyo Violet Ntsali, respected ANC activist and Deputy Board Chairperson of the Matthew Goniwe School of Leadership and Governance (MGSLG).
The memorial comes ahead of a funeral service to be held on Saturday in Tembisa, where Ntsali is revered for her role in the liberation struggle.
Mourners, many clad in the green, black and gold colours of the governing African National Congress (ANC), danced and sang freedom songs to pay their last respect to Mam Vi, as Ntsali was affectionately known.
Ntsali died last Thursday morning at her home, following a short illness. She had been hospitalised before but discharged in September.
“Comrade Mam Vi was the mother to everyone…she was an organiser,” said a provincial ANC Women’s League leader during the memorial service.
The Women’s League leader urged ANC rank and file members to rally society to put the party back into power during the 2024 general elections in honour of Mam Vi.
“We are going to the elections next year. We need to organise ourselves and the community behind the banner of the African National Congress towards victory. Ours is to celebrate the life of Mam Vi by going out there and fight because Mam Vi believed in the ANC. She would go out of her way to do door to door for the ANC even under scorching hot temperatures.”
ANC regional leader in Ekurhuleni Jongisizwe Dlabathi said the party received the news about Ntsali’s demise with great disappointment.
“We did not think death will suddenly take one of our beloved cadres and a mother that we all loved. But her departure reminded all of us that the ultimate journey is indeed death.
“That is why we must live life purposefully because no one knows this thing called the after-life. Mam Vi’s death is a sad moment for the movement. We are heartbroken as the ANC because we still wanted more from her. She was a loyal member of the ANC,” said Dlabathi.
Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane said Ntsali’s death was a huge loss to the education sector.
“We wish to convey our sincerest condolences to her family, colleagues and friends. Ms Ntsali has been a dedicated and selfless leader. We will dearly miss her valuable contribution to the sector, may her soul rest in peace,” Chiloane said.
Department of Education Spokesperson Steve Mabona earlier said Ntsali showed commitment to improving education as she carried on with her duties, despite her ill-health, until her untimely death.
The department said that through the leadership, dedication and support of the Ntsali, MGSLG succeeded in providing training on governance to members of School Governing Bodies (SGBs) across the province, funding the studies of prospective Early Childhood Development (ECD) practitioners, helping them obtain their qualifications, and ultimately spearheading research which necessitated urgent interventions on advancing school safety.
In addition, the department said that MGSLG had consistently worked alongside the Gauteng Department of Education, playing a pivotal role in shaping the standard and inclusivity of education in the province.
The MGSLG was established in 2002 to continue with the legacy of anti-apartheid activist and dedicated teacher Matthew Goniwe (1946 – 1985), to improve quality of education and currently has two branches in Benoni, Ekurhuleni and Vrededorp, Johannesburg.
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