Thousands gather at Magangeni to pay respect to Muvhango’s Vho-Mushasha

The veteran actor Vho-Sammy Moeti was laid to rest at Magangeni village on Saturday. He passed away in the early hours of 13 October at Elim Hospital after a long illness. 

The 66-year-old actor will be remembered for his roles in the SABC TV soapie, Muvhango (where he played the role of Vho-Mushasha), as well as Elelwani and some earlier stage plays.

According to his wife, Mrs Rejoice Moeti (40), Sammy started acting at a very young age. She recalled his being a good storyteller who would sit down and tell her, family members and friends about his acting career, which spanned several decades. “He had two photo albums which tell the story of a life well lived and an acting career fully explored,” she said. “To me, his company was always enjoyable and now I cannot help feeling the void he has left in my life. He was a soulmate to a woman who loved him, and a loving father to a son, Mpho.”

The mourning son, Mpho Moeti (36), who is Moeti’s only child, said that his father’s passing away had affected him deeply. “We had a very good relationship which transcended the boundaries of a father-son kind of relationship,” he said. “He was my friend, brother and all that you can imagine.”

Mpho’s mother, Vho-Azwinndini Clara Muthambi, passed away shortly after his birth. “I lost my mother when I was three months old,” he said. “You can imagine how close I became to my father. Yes, I take solace in the knowledge that God had given me a good father who lived on this earth and touched many lives through his acting career.”

Sammy Moeti was the son of Vho-Matamela Adel Moeti and Vho-George Mutoda Moeti. He attended Xingwedzi Teaching College, attempting a course in teaching. He quit the course after two years, however, and went to Gauteng to pursue a career in acting.

An actress, Ms Maggie “Matron Mudagasi” Mathalise, said that the industry and society had lost a polished and seasoned gem of an actor. “I met him several times when I was an amateur who was still doing auditions and he encouraged me,” she said.

Thousands of people had sent words and released statements of condolence through various media forms to the bereaved family and the Muvhango family.

News - Date: 30 October 2015

Tshifhiwa Mukwevho

Tshifhiwa Given Mukwevho was born in 1984 in Madombidzha village, not far from Louis Trichardt in the Limpopo Province. After submitting articles for roughly a year for Limpopo Mirror's youth supplement, Makoya, he started writing for the main newspaper. He is a prolific writer who published his first book, titled A Traumatic Revenge in 2011. It focusses on life on the street and how to survive amidst poverty. His second book titled The Violent Gestures of Life was published in 2014.

Email: [email protected]