For most African families, performing a purification ceremony (mushumo wa u bvula dzinguvho) a year after a loved one was laid to rest is the norm. In this tradition, the life of the late clergyman, community builder and councillor Jeremia Khunwana was celebrated on Saturday, 9 July, at Muswodi Tshisimani village.
Khunwana passed away on 10 July last year, after a short illness. At the time of his death, he was a ward councillor for Ward 7 in the Musina Municipality. He was also a member of the Musina Municipal Council's executive committee and portfolio head for technical services and economic development and planning.
As senior pastor in the United African Apostolic Church (UAAC), Khunwana commanded respect locally, having been in the forefront of most of the developmental projects in the area.
The purification ceremony was attended by fellow church members, family, friends and local residents, who came in numbers to honour one of the greatest community builders in the Niani area.
Speaking on behalf of the family, Portia Khunwana said that the purification ceremony was important for the family, so that they could get closure. At the time of Khunwana's death, many people could not attend the funeral because of the Covid-19 regulations that restricted large gatherings. "It means a lot to us as a family that people honoured our invitation to come and pay tribute to our family member today. This clearly demonstrates that he was loved by many and had made an everlasting impact on people's lives."
Musina Mayor Nkhanedzeni Godfrey Mawela said that people such as Khunwana could not be forgotten because of the positive contributions they had made to local communities during their time on earth. "His leadership skills are sorely missed. Although he is gone, we thank the family for sharing him with the community. Ours now is to pick up the spear where he left off and continue to work hard to develop our communities in his honour."