Culture icon Mafela passes away

The well-known multi-talented actor, comedian, songwriter and film producer, Mr Joe “Sdumo” Mafela (75), died in a vehicle accident on the M1 in Johannesburg on Saturday night.

According to members of the community of Vhembe, Mafela was a father, mentor, an icon of hope, a role model and a true leader. He was a visionary, an actor, musician, film producer and a trustworthy human being, whose desire to serve his community motivated him to work hard. As an individual who had the love of his community at heart, Mafela brought countless developmental initiatives to the young people of South Africa, they said. 

Mafela was born in Sibasa and attended primary schools in Duthuni, Ngwenani and Maungani before he went to Johannesburg.

His uncle, Mr Mbulaheni Madzuwe, said that some of the family members were struggling to cope after they received the devastating news. He said they were receiving support from the community, who have been flocking to Duthuni village since early Sunday morning. He said that Mafela was an icon who united the family of Mafela, Mudzuwe and Mudau.

"We accept what has happened. The members of our community are very supportive. They arrived here as early as six o’clock and are still coming to support us." Madzuwe said that the area had lost a role model who was dearly loved and respected. "He grew up a disciplined boy and we are very proud of all his achievements," Madzuwe said.

 “We as traditional leaders know that these are difficult times for the families. This no longer a family tragedy, but a national tragedy," Khosikhulu Vho-Toni Mphephu Ramabulana said. He said the traditional leaders worried about the increasing number of accidents on the roads. “This is a serious concern as more innocent lives are lost on our roads. All stakeholders need to come together and work with the government to come up with initiatives aimed at decreasing the fatalities on our roads.”

Mphephu expressed his condolences to the family of Mafela and said he would be sorely missed. He added that community members around Vhembe and South Africa as whole were deeply touched by the horror of the accident. “Understandably, it is very difficult to continue with everyday life after such a traumatic experience, and the family needs support,” he said.

Actor and film producer Murendeni Ramunenyiwa described the death of Mafela as a terrible blow to the community of Vhembe and South Africa. Ramunenyiwa said that Mafela’s death had taken a real icon, confidante and inspirational leader from both young and old people in the community. "He was a real son of the soil and everyone can see his contributions to the development of our society and we relied on him for many things. He left us at a time when we needed his leadership skills most."

Mafela is survived by his wife and four children and he will be buried on Wednesday, 29 March, at Heroes Park in Johannesburg

News - Date: 25 March 2017

Kaizer Nengovhela

Kaizer Nengovhela started writing stories for Limpopo Mirror in 2000. Prior to that he had a five year stint at Phala-Phala FM as sports presenter. In 2005 Kaizer received an award from the province's premier as Best Sports Presenter. The same year he was also nominated as Best Sports Reporter by the Makhado Municipality. Kaizer was awarded the Mathatha Tsedu award in 2014.

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