An employee of the Musina Municipality, Mr Sarel Sibanda (59), was described as a dedicated man who worked until his last day on earth. He passed away last week.

He was a service worker in the corporate services department.

His funeral on Sunday was a celebration of a life well lived as speaker after speaker reminded the hundreds of mourners of the good things that Sibanda had done for the community. His friend and colleague, Mr Titus Manyaga, told mourners that death had robbed him of a brother and a true friend. "He encouraged me to take my work very seriously and advised me on many things, including personal family matters. I will miss him dearly."

Sibanda’s twin sister, Ms Annikie Tshikhudo, said she would remember her brother as a loving person who was always smiling. "When he fell ill, we thought he would recover and be with us for some time. It is unfortunate that God decided to take him while we were still in dire need of him. He was a wonderful gift to the family."

On behalf of the municipal council, Cllr Nkele Milanzi said the fact that Sibanda had worked for the municipality for more than 20 years was a true reflection that he was dedicated to his work, thereby contributing to community development. "Now that the Lord has called him, he is no longer feeling the pain he used to feel while he was on this earth. The municipality has lost a true soldier who was really passionate about service delivery."