The news of the death of a Makhado Municipality councillor came as quite a shock to many residents of Vhembe. Cllr Avhafunani Germinah Rashamuse (57) died after a short illness on Monday at the Puluso Netcare hospital in Polokwane.
According to the family spokesperson, Ms Mashudu Ndou, the untimely death of Cllr Rashamuse did not only shock the ANC, but also her family, relatives and even people from outside of the country. "We have received many messages of condolences from around the province and further afield, and as a bereaved family it shows us that Rashamuse was a people's person," she said. She added that Rashamuse respected and loved everyone, irrespective of colour, race or religion.
Ndou described Rashamuse as a pillar within the family and the community as a whole. "She played the central role in unifying her relatives," she said.
The mayor of Makhado Municipality, Cllr Samuel Munyai, expressed his shock and sadness at the untimely death of the councillor. "We have really lost a leader in our municipality and it will be very difficult for us to replace her," he said.
"We really valued her contribution to the municipality and the community at large. Losing a great leader like this also affects service delivery, because there were so many projects which she was facilitating in the community," said Munyai. He sent his condolences to the bereaved family.
The Vhembe District Executive Mayor, Cllr Dowelani Nenguda, said in an official statement that news of Cllr Rashamuse's death was received with deep shock. He described her as a person who was truly committed to the improvement of the quality of people's lives.
Nenguda said Rashamuse will be buried on Saturday at the Raliphaswa cemetery. The service will start at 06:00 at the Raliphaswa sport grounds.