The community of Tshaulu outside Thohoyandou has been plunged into mourning with the mysterious and tragic death of the village's much-loved community builder, former councillor Rudzani Mathambo.
Mathambo, 47, a former Ward 8 Thulamela councillor, was found by his wife hanging from the rafters in his chicken coop. The incident, which left the village in shock, happened on Thursday, 2 October, at around 18:30.
Circumstances leading to his taking his own life were not immediately clear.
Vhakoma Vho Gilbert Netshivhambe of the Royal Tshaulu tsha ha Bohwana Council described his death as a major blow to the community he had served with distinction. "I last saw him at the local hardware store, but I did not see what he bought. Little did I know it was the last I was seeing him alive. It was around 20:00 when I received the sad news of his passing. This is a sad moment for us all as a community. Mathambo has been instrumental in much of the development in this village," he said.
Netshivhambe said he had worked with Mathambo for almost 10 years while he had been a councillor. "We were like a family. Our senior traditional leader was supposed to have a function at the royal palace on Saturday, but she had to postpone it in honour of and respect for his contributions," he said.
Paying tribute, close confidante and colleague Mboweni Malala described Mathambo as "a real agent for transformation."
"The last time I heard from him was on Wednesday when he texted me to remind me of our journey to Khomele, where we were to have a meeting with local leadership on issues of development. He drew no joy from seeing people suffer. Under his leadership as councillor, the community saw real transformation. He introduced meaningful development projects that improved lives, created opportunities, and brought hope where it was once fading," he said.