Ndivhuwo Screamer Mamathuba (52), a dedicated, disciplined and intellectual revolutionary, was laid to rest last Saturday at Tshitereke village.

Mr Mamathuba was a passionate member of the African National Congress (ANC) and at the time of his untimely death he was a member of the ANC’s regional executive committee in the Vhembe Region.

During a special memorial service held last Thursday, his colleagues and friends described him as a disciplined, loving and selfless person who was dedicated to his work. Speaking during the memorial service, Ms Mirriam Ramadwa of the ANC Women’s League said Mr Mamathuba was a legend. “He was our advisor; he loved the people and the organisation. Lucky are those who passed his way, because he was a good person. We learnt a lot from him and we will continue to implement what he taught us,” she said.

Vho Thovhele Kennedy Tshivhase, who happened to be one of Ndivhuwo’s friends, spoke about him as a man of integrity. “Ndivhuwo was my friend and my advisor; with him we have lost a soldier and a hero. He contributed in my life so dearly. We will surely miss him for all the things he has done in our lives,” he said.

Mr Tshililo Christopher Luvhani, who recruited Ndivhuwo in the ANC, talked about Ndivhuwo as a faithful person. “Every mission that I undertook with him was not only successful, it was kept secret and it remained confidential until the day he passed on. He played a big role during the apartheid era where he volunteered to transport Umkonto we Sizwe soldiers and equipment. He was also entrusted with a few weapons that he kept safe and accounted for. Screamer was one of the people whom everybody liked immediately because of his simplicity, his nature, his comradeship, his personality and originality, even before his other singular virtues were revealed. He worked for his country with dignity and love,” he said.

Mr Mamathuba passed on while he was working for the Vhembe District Municipality as an assistant communication manager.

Mamathuba joined the municipality in 2006 as an assistant manager: communication. Among his many achievements immediately after joining, was the revival of the district communication forum. He established the communication unit, which can now boast three permanent employees. With his team, various initiatives were put in place to increase the profile of Vhembe.

Prior to joining the municipality, Mamathuba occupied various positions in different sectors of the society. Unknown to many is his role in the taxi industry. Screamer was once a popular taxi owner who operated from Vhufuli to Sibasa. He spent most of his early career days ferrying people. However, this career was not politically innocent. Mamathuba had been an undying activist of the banned ANC from the early days of the Soweto uprising. He was among the student leaders of the ‘76 generation who ensured that the Northern Transvaal contributed to the broader movement. When some of his peers escaped police harassment and went into exile, Mamathuba went underground. He served in the underground structures of Umkhonto we Sizwe, and as part of his mandate, he acquired a taxi in order to complement his MK activities. By day, Screamer ferried ordinary passengers and by night he carried MK operatives from one corner of South Africa to another.