Humble municipal employee buried

The late Mr Phanuel “Chindege” Mulea (49), an employee of the Musina Municipality, was described as a humble and humorous person who was full of jokes.

Mulea passed away after a car accident and he was buried at Musina on Sunday. A memorial service was held in his honour at his home in Musina Campbell last Thursday.

When addressing the mourners during the memorial service, Cllr Jeremia Khunwana said the municipality was worried about the high number of employees who were passing away within a short space of time. “The fact that we have buried three employees within 30 days is a very huge concern to us. We urge pastors, workers and community members to pray for us, because this needs divine intervention. When we lose employees, it simply means that service delivery is affected, because we will be having more workload and less manpower.”

Khunwana sent condolences to the Mulea family and assured them that the municipal leadership was mourning with them during the difficult time. “Although we are mourning, we are consoled by the fact that Mulea worked for our municipality for the past 26 years with pride and dedication. He was so loyal and dedicated to his work. We know that it is very painful to lose a loved one and we will give you some space to grieve. Grieving will ease your pain, although it will take time to heal from this painful tragedy. We pray that God gives you strength when you send your loved one to his final resting place.”

The regional deputy chairperson of the South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU), of which Mulea had been a member, said that they had lost a faithful member who had always been active in all activities of the trade union. “He was always there to fight for the rights of the workers, even in difficult times. We will honour his spirit by working hard for the development of our municipality and its people.”

Family representative Mudzweda Mawahsane said that the family members had suffered a great loss because they had lost a breadwinner who had provided for his family without compromise. “The support we are receiving from the municipality is overwhelming. This clearly demonstrates that our son was working with good and caring people. We don’t have enough words to thank everyone who has been with us during this difficult time.”

Mulea’s colleague at work, Solomon Ramabulana, was shattered by his friend’s passing. “We were so close that I don’t even know how the workplace will be without him. He left us so soon while we still needed him. We will miss his jokes, sense of humour and smiling face.”

Born in 1970, Mulea worked at the now-defunct Messina LTD Copper Mine and later joined Musina Municipality when the mine closed.

He is survived by his wife, Thembi and four daughters, Shirley, Nakisani, Annetjie and Hilda.

Members of both the Bethlehem African Apostolic Church in Sabbath and SAMWU took turns in singing and chanting as Mulea’s casket was lowered during the funeral service. 

News - Date: 13 June 2019

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