'Trusted traditional leader' buried

King Toni Mphephu Ramabulana of the Vhavenda kingdom has urged the people of Ha-Mutele to observe the mourning period in honour of the fallen acting senior traditional leader of the Mutele Traditional Council, Vho-William Mutele (76).

Mphephu was addressing hundreds of villagers, traditional leaders, community stakeholders and guests during Mutele’s funeral service at Ha-Mutele sports grounds near Masisi on Saturday. Mutele, who represented the Mutele Traditional Council at Musina Municipal Council, died a fortnight ago after falling ill. 

“This is not the time to talk about the heir who should ascend the throne. According to our culture, we still must observe the mourning period before we can talk about a person who should take over the reins. I urge every one of you to be patient and wait for the traditional processes to unfold, so that we can do things according to our custom. I personally came here today to mourn, and I will come back again to install a new Thovhele when the time is right,” said Mphephu during the funeral.

He said Mutele had been one of the trusted traditional leaders and his death was a great loss to the Vhavenda kingdom. “He was a reliable individual who took part in everything that we jointly do as traditional leaders. Despite his advanced age, he never missed a single meeting to discuss issues of service delivery and traditional leadership. As an elder, we used to take advice from him and we have been deeply touched by his passing. Despite all this, we will continue where he left off to continue to build the Vhavenda kingdom into a strong, united front.”

The MEC for Health, Dr Phophi Ramathuba, said the community of Ha-Mutele should be assured of the heartfelt condolences of the government. “As government, we are also saddened by his passing, but we pray that the Lord will comfort the family and community members during this trying time. It is a great loss to us, because traditional leaders are our partners in governance and community development.”

Cllr Jeremiah Khunwana from Musina Municipality said the municipality had lost a partner in community development because Mutele’s seat in the Council was currently vacant. “For the past two years, he worked well with us and we will surely miss his contributions in Musina Municipality. We will continue to work hard to bring a better life to all in honour of this fallen giant.”

News - Date: 20 May 2018

Wilson Dzebu

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