A former mayor of the Nzhelele/Tshipise TLC, Mr Ntsandeni Phineas Muladi (65), died after a short illness in the Pholoso Netcare Hospital in Polokwane last Friday. He was buried on Wednesday at Mavhunga.
He was appointed as mayor of Nzhelele/Tshipise TLC in 1995. He served in several ANC structures before becoming mayor. He also headed the technical services at Makhado Municipality and later ventured into business to start Masana Skills Development.
According to the family spokesperson, Mr Nicholas Muladi, the untimely death of Muladi had not only shocked the ANC, but also his family, relatives and even people from outside the country. "We have received many messages of condolences from abroad, and as bereaved family it shows us that Muladi was a people's person and accommodating to everyone, irrespective of colour or race," he said.
He described Muladi as a pillar within the family and community at large. "He played the central role in unifying his relatives," he said.
The secretary of the ANC in the Vhembe region, Adv Anderson Mudunungu, said that Muladi's death had come as a huge shock to him. "He still had a lot to offer the community," he said. "Muladi was one of our comrades who understood the way in which the organisation functioned. He had vast experience and people learned a lot from him."
"We will remember him as a man of vision," said the MEC for Transport and Community Safety, Ms Mavhungu Lerule-Ramakhanya. "We will always remember him for his hard work, commitment and dedication," she said. Most of the development that occurred during the time in the Vhembe region was his ideas. "We have lost a charismatic, disciplined and enthusiastic leader," she said. Ramakhanya also mentioned that Muladi had been a leader who had understood that, as a leader, one must transcend all boundaries and represent the hopes, interests, and aspirations of all people to realize a better life.
Muladi is survived by his wife and five children.