Members of the Pentecostal Holiness Church (PHC) of South Africa are in mourning, following the passing away of their long-serving member, Rev Joseph Nndwamato Luvhengo.
Rev Luvhengo passed away in his bed at his home at Nancefield, Musina, on Saturday afternoon, August 13, following a long illness.
According to family members, he started complaining about an itching ear immediately after his farewell and appreciation function that was held at the PHC branch at Nancefield on March 26 this year. This is the same branch he was leading for years.
The 96-year-old Rev Luvhengo achieved many milestones in his career. He was part of the group of people who translated the Bible from English into Tshivenda. He was known to be a selfless clergyman who would walk long distances to pray for the sick and give counselling to the needy.
Even during the time of his illness, Rev Luvhengo surprised many by continuing to pray for others, including President Cyril Ramaphosa and his collective leadership. His wife, Lydia Luvhengo, said that he prayed for peace in the country every morning.
"My husband started praying for Ramaphosa immediately when he heard that he was campaigning to become president of the ANC. He said it was important to pray for Ramaphosa, because there were corrupt people who did not want him," she explained.
According to his son, Jomo Luvhengo, Rev Luvhengo had played different roles in the Musina community since he was deployed to the area from Louis Trichardt Masagani in 1962, by the missionaries.
"Since my father arrived here, he was deeply involved in community development. He fought hard for the recognition of the Tshivenda language in this area. Together with old men like the late Matshivha, Ramabulana, Ramovha and others, they fought for the establishment of Makushu Primary School, which was opened in 1969, specifically meant for Venda-speaking children. Today, Makushu is one of the biggest schools in Musina, with about 1 165 pupils," Jomo said.
He added that his father had also loved and embraced everyone. "He made sure that church leaders were united under the umbrella of the Musina Council of Churches. He also established many churches in the former Venda, Malamulele and Zimbabwe," said Jomo Luvhengo.
Bishop Lalamani, who is the leader of PHC's Limpopo North Conference, said Reverend Luvhengo had served God with passion. Pastor Shadrack Mazulu, who leads one of the churches in Zimbabwe, said that the late Rev Luvhengo had helped establish many branches of the church in this country.
Reverend Mashudu Salani, who is also a product of Reverend Luvhengo, said "the old man taught me to be faithful and honest. In my entire life, I had never seen such an honest and faithful person like Reverend Luvhengo," said Salani.
Luvhengo's son, Emmanuel Luvhengo, said that his father had been committed to serving the community with passion. He said his father had seldom been at home. "He was always out doing his church work or community work," he said.
His memorial service will be held on Friday morning at his church, PHC Musina, while a funeral service will be held on Saturday morning, also in Musina. He is survived by his wife, Lydia, four children, 14 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.