The morning of Saturday, 9 April, started with the sweet sounds of traditional horns (tshikona) as the remains of the late Vestor Esther Lagane were delivered to her home before she was formally laid to rest. An emotional funeral service was held for her at the Assemblies of God Fellowship Church in Musina on Saturday.

Lagane was born on 1 March 1947 at Murankwana village. She was the fifth child of the late Chief Johannes Maboko Lishiba and Maria Munzhedzi Lishiba, which made her a princess before she got married to her late husband, Joseph Matome Lagane, in 1965 and they migrated to Musina, where Joseph was a mine worker. She worked for many years as an early-childhood-development practitioner at the local Sovetso crèche, until she retired at the age of 65. She was 75 years old when she passed away after a long illness.

Although speakers had a hard time to describe her exceptional generosity, what was clear was that Lagane had been an incredible community builder whose contributions toward her communities will be written up in the history of Musina one day.

Mr Solomon Lagane, who represented the family during the funeral, said the clan was devastated by the death of their loved one. He said that Lagane had been one of the few surviving elders the family still had left to depend on for advice. “She was our source of wisdom. Although she had been sick for a long time, we still hoped that she would recover and continue with her good work of uniting the family, but unfortunately God decided to take her away from us. Although we are crying, we console ourselves with the fact that she was a God-fearing person who prepared for her new life in the hereafter while she was still alive on this earth.”

On behalf of the children, Ms Andrea Lagane said they had finally come to terms with the fact that they would never see their mother again. “Every child needs a mother’s love, and life will now be very different without her. However, we feel proud because her love and guidance successfully made us the responsible adults we are today. We owe our successes to her because she stood up and made sure that we grew up and became what we are today,” she said. “Her passing has taught us that God is the only one who controls time. She will always be a hero in our lives, and we will always be humbled by her good and exemplary life.”

Tshikona tsha ha Musekwa blew the horns while family elder Mr Calvin Lishiba recited a royal poem as Lagane’s casket was lowered to her final resting place next to her late husband, who was buried in 2009.

Lagane is survived by six children, 12 grandchildren and six great grandchildren.