It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing on of Mrs Zandile Kunene (nee Mbeje) last week.
Kunene, who was the chief executive officer of the Matthew Goniwe School of Leadership and Governance (MGSLG), died on Thursday, 11 February 2010 after a long battle with a rare kind of cancer (choriocarcinoma). She will be buried at her hometown, Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal on Saturday and a memorial service will be held for her on Wednesday this week.
Mrs Mbeje grew up in Pietermaritzburg and went to Montebello High School, a Catholic boarding school in Dalton, KwaZulu-Natal, where she matriculated. She received bursaries from the Catholic Bishop Bursary Fund and South African Jewish Women Association.
She studied at the University of KwaZulu-Natal where she was awarded her Bachelor of Arts, Higher Diploma in Education and Bachelor of Education qualifications. In 2008 she enrolled at the Institute of Education at the University of London for her Masters of Business Administration (MBA) in School Leadership. She went to London on a quarterly basis to attend sessions for this programme.
While attending one of the sessions in September 2009 her disease slowly turned terminal. She was admitted at the Charing Cross hospital in London (United Kingdom) for 88 days and was transferred to the Donald Gordon Medical Centre in Parktown where she lost her battle with the disease last week.
Mrs Mbeje had extensive experience in education and development work. She started her teaching career in the mid-80s in KwaZulu-Natal. She moved to Mpumalanga and worked at Elijah Manjo College of Education as a teacher trainer. She pursued a master’s degree at the University of KwaZulu-Natal while also working in the university’s Curriculum Development unit. She worked briefly for the Gauteng Department of Education before joining Oxford University Press and later the Independent Examinations Board (IEB) as a trainer and materials developer.
Her last employment before joining Mathew Goniwe School of Leadership and Governance (MGSLG) was with the Management of Schools Training Programme (MSTP) as deputy national director. In this capacity she managed a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded project in the Limpopo province in the fields of governance, management, curriculum and district capacity building. She worked on numerous education and educational management publications and presented numerous papers on the different topics.
Mrs Mbeje was the Executive Director of the MGSLG, an agency of the Gauteng Department of Education. She was also the chairperson of the board of directors of Link Community Development, an international non-profit organisation (NGO) working in the education sector. She was the past president of the Education Management Association of South Africa (EMASA), newly elected president of the Commonwealth Council for Educational Administration and Management (CCEAM), and also a founding member of Leadlink, a network of seven countries working in educational leadership in Sub-Saharan Africa.
In 2008 she was nominated as one of South Africa’s most influential women in business and government by her peers. She was also nominated and was a finalist for the 2006 outstanding women in the Public Sector and State Owned Enterprises awards (best service delivery category). These awards recognise the profound and exceptional contributions women have made in their sectors. She has been identified as a woman who has made a difference in the lives of people across South Africa, whether directly or indirectly, as well as positive difference in the competitive world comprising the public and private sectors.
She found her soul mate and life partner when she married Thamsanqa Israel Maqhawe Mbeje on 9 April 2005 in Pietermaritzburg. Zandile is survived by her mother; Euphemia, sisters; Bongiwe, Nomaswazi and Thulile, brother; Themba, three daughters; Ntokozo, Lungile and Nokwanda and husband Thamsanqa Maqhawe Mbeje.
She will be sadly missed and remembered by her family, friends and colleagues for the special person she was; kind, humble, soft spoken, always ready to give people a chance, a visionary leader and inspiration to many.
She might be gone but will never be forgotten!
Details of her memorial service are as follows:
Date: 17 February 2010
Time: 14h00
Venue: Matthew Goniwe School of Leadership and Governance
For more information contact:
Charles Phahlane
Tel: 011 355 1530
Cell: 071 860 4496
Issued by: Department of Education, Gauteng Provincial Government
15 February 2010
Source: Gauteng Provincial Government (http://www.gautengonline.gov.za/)
