Premier Sihle Zikalala: Eulogy at official funeral of Veronica Zanele Kamagwaza-Msibi

11 Sep 2021

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala delivers eulogy during the provincial funeral of the late Veronica Zanele Kamagwaza-Msibi held in Ulundion Saturday 11 September 2021

Programme Director MEC Sibiya;
Magwaza family;
Msibi family;
KaMagwaza Msibi’s Husband, our brother Mandla;
KaMagwaza-Msibi’s Children – Gugu and Melusi;
MEC for Agriculture MEC Moloi;
KZN Director-General, Dr N.O. Mkhize;
The Leadership and Chaplain from the South African Police Service (SAPS);
Mayors and councillors;
Leadership of the NFP, IFP, and other political parties;
Traditional leaders;
Religious leaders;
Ladies and gentlemen;

A dark shadow has once again descended on our beloved province, robbing us of our sister, colleague and comrade – uZanele KaMagwaza-Msibi – affectionately known as VZ.

Monday morning on September 6 became a day of mourning as our province and country lost the shining light in our politics and development agenda.

In this sad moment, on behalf of the province and people of KwaZulu-Natal, we wish to pay our deepest condolences on kaMagwaza-Msibi’s passing and to express to her family, friends and colleagues our own sense of loss.

In comforting the Msibi and Magwaza families for their deep loss, allow us to quote from the Scripture found in Thessalonians chapter 4 verses 13 to 14 which read as follows:

“Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.”

There can be no doubt that Her Maker is happy to have her outstanding daughter after running such a magnificent race. She fought a great fight, and sad as we are, we must release her for her journey is done.

While her passing has left the province poorer, we will be eternally enriched by her short spell with us on mother earth.

Her untimely demise has left us depressed and dejected as we were still expecting her to contribute positively to the building of the country and our province.

We are grateful to His Excellency, President Cyril Ramaphosa, for agreeing to our request to grant uKaMagwaza-Msibi with an official provincial funeral. A courageous, selfless patriot and industrious worker for the emancipation of the poor, she is truly deserving of such an honour.

Her deep desire to fight national oppression and patriarchy saw her join the struggle at the tender age of 13. She sacrificed her teenage years to fight for the liberation of her people from the stranglehold of apartheid.

She could not bear to see her people buckling under the yoke of oppression and bondage brought by apartheid and colonialism.

Today we are bidding our collective farewell to a person who foresaw and fought for an equal, free and prosperous future for all South Africans, at a tender age.

In her memory and honour, we urge our teenagers to emulate this nation builder, uKaMagwaza-Msibi, by fighting the social ills we face in South Africa today. We ask them to take their education seriously for the own development.

We look to them to break every ceiling and limitation that society imposes on women. Side by side with them, we must create a South Africa where women and children do not fear to walk our streets and valleys because of gender-based violence and femicide that continue to ravage our country.

Our youth and girls must know that today we bid farewell to a phenomenal woman who towered above oppression and patriarchy and fought it fiercely.

This earned her respect from both men and women who saw her as a voice of the voiceless and the downtrodden of the earth. In KaMagwaza-Msibi, people did not see only a woman of strength, but they saw a fierce fighter for the emancipation of women and men from the bondages of apartheid, sexism and other oppressive scourges.

For her formidable and resilient stance against any form of oppression, KaMagwaza-Msibi became an inspiration to young girls and other women that you can be a respected leader, even if you hail from a rural area.

Her dedication to free people from all forms of oppression saw her rise in the ranks of the army of social activists committed to the development of humankind.

KaMagwaza-Msibi will always be remembered as one of the hardworking Councillors, senior Party Leader and later, Member of Parliament for the NFP.

In those roles kaMagwaza-Msibi charted the way for women and girls from the townships and rural areas of our country who, through her exemplary leadership, realised that they too could succeed in the world of politics.

KaMagwaza-Msibi rose through the ranks of government as the only female Councillor of the Nongoma Transitional Local Council as far back as 1995. Soon thereafter in 1997 kaMagwaza-Msibi served in various capacities in the Zululand Regional Council.

She was a trail blazer who served with dedication and excellence, exceeding all expectations.

As Mayor of Zululand District Municipality, she reflected the best qualities expected of a leader of the people through her dedication, undying commitment and being always available to respond to the urgent needs for service delivery.

Fellow mourners, when disaster struck in the municipal district she led, KaMagwaza-Msibi did not rest on her laurels. She was a leader who was always the first to arrive at the scenes of disaster, ready to offer much needed help and advice to the victims.

She was also the last to leave the scene of disaster, having ensured that all the help needed had been secured.

We all remember KaMagwaza-Msibi as a charitable leader who did not feast when the people she led were being attacked by pangs of hunger and poverty. She was the crop of a leader who ate last, long after her flock had feasted.

She was a mother to the orphans and a source of shade and shelter to the homeless and the poor masses.

We need to emulate the calibre of leaders like KaMagwaza-Msibi, leaders who ensured the welfare and safety of those they lead above their own.

She would have said that on the eve of local government elections and during the 20th anniversary of local government in South Africa, we must mobilise the people of KwaZulu-Natal to go out in their numbers to vote for leaders and parties that will strengthen our democracy and improve the delivery of basic services in our communities.

In her 15-year tenure as Zululand District Mayor, KaMagwaza-Msibi commanded respect from men, women, the young and the old. She did not command respect because she was the mayor, she was respected because she served people selflessly and with humility.

As a leader, she shared information and knowledge, thus inculcating the culture of service delivery to those who served under her.

As part of executing her duties as district mayor, she also worked well with traditional and religious leadership, offering them respect they duly deserved. Respect begets respect. The traditional and religious leaders also respected her because of the respect she showed to them.

Such leaders like KaMagwaza-Msibi are an asset to our country as they are bridge builders who respect all stakeholders in society.

Passionate about health and the education of the African child, especially the girl child, she was instrumental in the building of schools and clinics so that people do not travel far to access these important amenities.

Fellow compatriots, as a teacher, KaMagwaza-Msibi was instrumental in empowering fellow women teachers through knowledge because knowledge empowers people to do for themselves and not be dependent.

The slain revolutionary president of Burkina Faso, Thomas Sankara, emphatically highlighted the importance of women liberation in the process of liberating Africa from colonial chains. He said:

“The revolution and women’s liberation go together. We do not talk of women’s emancipation as an act of charity or out of a surge of human compassion. It is a basic necessity for the revolution to triumph. Women hold up the other half of the sky.”

Even though her political career propelled KaMagwaza-Msibi sky-high, she remained humble and in touch with people on the ground.

We have worked with kaMagwaza-Msibi since the 2011 Local Government Elections and enjoyed great respect for one another, through ensuring that our cooperation was anchored on the development of the people of KwaZulu-Natal.

Under the banner of the NFP, KaMagwaza-Msibi’s charismatic leadership won the hearts of many people who joined her party voluntarily.

These throngs of followers ensured that the NFP was a political force to be reckoned with in the province.

There can be no doubt that the formation of the NFP deepened democracy in our province and forged peace and unity among supporters of parties who had hitherto been regarded as sworn enemies.

OkaManqondo uzakhele ugazi ngisho nakubantu bezindaba abehlukene okwenze wavelela emisebenzini yakhe nasezikhundleni asebenze kuzona ezinhlanganweni zezombusazwe.

Enye yeziNtatheli eke yasebenza izindaba zezombusazwe ngaphambi kokuba ishintshe umkhakha wokusebenza, ikhumbule uKhisimuzi wonyaka ka-2010 okungomunye unyaka lapho ayekade evelele khona. Siyayicaphuna le ntatheli.

“Emuva kokuba siqale uhlelo lokuchitha usuku lukaKhisimuzi nabaholi abavelele kulowo nyaka, okuwuhlelo esaluqala ngo-2009 sivakashele ubaba uMsholozi kuwuKhisimuzi, unyaka olandelayo savakashela uMama uZanele KaMagwaza-Msibi nomndeni wakhe emzini wabo oseNewcastle.

“Akazange angabaze ukusemukela isicelo sephephandaba lethu ukuba limvakashele kodwa wachaza ukuthi uzobe ematasa emphakathini ngoba akayena umuntu wezicoficofi zoKhisimuzi abantu engabazi ukuthi badlani bona.

“Isidlo sasekuseni sasidla kwakhe eNewcastle nobaba uMsibi nendodakazi uGugu ngaphambi kokuba ahambele isibhedlela saseNewcastle eyopha izingane ezizalwe ngoKhisimuzi izipho kanye nomama bazo, okuyisenzo sobuntu. Emuva kwalokhu indlela yabheka oLundi lapho kukhona umama wakhe namanye amalungu omndeni kuyodliwa isidlo sasemini.

“Emuva kwesidlo sasemini okaNjinji wabe esehambela ingoma kaKhisimuzi yasoLundi lapho afike wajatshulelwa kakhulu waphinda wakhuluma ebonga amagidangoma ngokuhlanganisa umphakathi ngento eyakhayo.

“Emuva kwengoma sabe sesicela ukukhululeka siyithimba ukuze silungiselele ukubhala kodwa wathi “nithe nifuna ukuba nami ngoKhisimuzi ngakho-ke uKhisimuzi wami uphelela kwaMsibi eThekwini lapho siyodla khona isidlo sakusihlwa”, nembala ngenxa yendlela abekwazi ngayo ukubeka inkulumo nokunxenxa umuntu, sazithola sesisuka emzini wabo oseGlenwood eThekwini phakathi kwamabili.”

Sigqemeke engeqiwa ntwala ngokushiywa emhlabeni ngumuntu wabantu ofana noKaMagwaza-Msibi, obebakhathalela futhi ebakhuthalela abantu. Sengathi banganda abaholi abafana noKaMagwaza-Msibi.

Masimkhumbule ngokuthi senze njengaye, sibe ngabaholi babantu, abanofuqufuqu lokusebenzela abantu ngaso sonke isikhathi.

Driven by a passion to make a difference in people’s lives, in 2012 she established the Zanele kaMagwaza-Msibi Foundation, which provided material assistance to desperate and needy people.

Such was her compassion for needy people that she was always available to alleviate their plight.

To her entire family, may God envelope you in his protective spirit and give you strength in this painful time.

As I disembark, please allow me to dedicate to our dearly departed freedom warrior, soldier of societal development, and beloved sister the last stanza from Maya Angelou’s poem, Phenomenal Woman:

“Now you understand

Just why my head’s not bowed.

I don’t shout or jump about

Or have to talk real loud…

It’s in the click of my heels,

The bend of my hair,

the palm of my hand,

The need for my care.

’Cause I’m a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That’s me.”