The sudden passing away of stalwart and activist, Sizwe Gumede, is being felt throughout Ward 71 as the community recently gathered to honour him with a memorial service.
Gumede, who was also an administrator of the Ward 71 ANC offices, passed away as a result of an asthma attack during the recent unrest. According to his friends and colleagues, he suddenly experienced breathing difficulties and was rushed to hospital by Ward 71 ANC Secretary, Falakhe Mhlongo. However, upon arrival at R K Khan Hospital, he was pronounced deceased. Ward 71 Councillor, Previn Vedan, expressed his condolences to the family, friends and the entire community of Chatsworth who were in mourning since the news of Gumede’s death. He said: “At the time of the passing I was awaiting Sizwe Gumede’s arrival at a Peace Committee meeting with Falakhe Mhlongo. Gumede and Mhlongo were unusually late, and I telephoned Mr Mhlongo who advised me of Gumede’s passing. I was shocked. I knew the task at hand, being bringing about peace, and continued the meeting, however, once I digested the news, I was devastated. Although we worked together, this is not a typical job where you have starting and ending hours. There would be times in which we spend 48 hours together, we solved issues together, ate together and spent time in each other’s homes. We were friends.”
He said Gumede was loved by the community and brought together many sectors. Gumede was laid to rest in Umzinto. “Members of the EFF, DA, as well as religious leaders and business leaders all attended. I realised the impact Sizwe had on people’s lives and that he brought people together. The first person that I had personally informed of his passing was Vinod Singh, a 68-year-old male who also works in my offices, and he burst out crying. I never once saw Sizwe get angry, unless it was to defend our cause, he understood the formal and informal community and was easily able to connect with people,” said Cllr Vedan. Samuel Sandile has been appointed as the new administrator of the Ward 71 ANC offices and may be contacted on 031-311-2568.
