The passing on of Chief Mmbangiseni Nemaranzhe of Maranzhe has been described as a big loss to the village and the Tshivhase royal house. The 66-year-old traditional leader died last week after a short, but unspecified, illness.

As per tradition, the burial took place on Thursday evening at the sacred royal burial grounds and was attended by only a few family members. The public funeral on Saturday was just a formality and gave locals the opportunity to give their beloved leader a befitting send-off.

Speaking during the service, Chief Avhasei Ramugondo, who stood in for Mailausumbwa Kennedy Tshivhase, described the late chief as someone who strived for development in his area and who performed his duties with distinction. “In Nemaranzhe we had a great leader who had a good working relationship with us. He was very humble  and listened to his seniors. He was always willing and ready to learn, which made him judge cases justly and we never needed to summon him to Luaname for misconduct. At the time of his death, we were finalizing a deal with one of the cell phone companies with a view to having a tower here which would help improve the reception here."

Family member Gershon Mamphiswana said they would remember the late chief as a hardworking person who unified the family and had a vision to develop his people. He made sure that the family was united, he would attend all family gatherings while at the same time encouraging others to be united. "Through him, a lot of development has taken place here," he said.

Nemaranzhe is survived by his wife and five children.