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The coffin of Prof Victor Ralushai lies before mourners at the Makwarela Catholic Church during the funeral service. Mourners are, from left, Limpopo´s acting premier, Dickson Masemola, Thulamela Mayor Grace Mahosi and Vhembe district Chief Whip Cllr Tshifhiwa Dali.
Victor Ralushai laid to rest
News Date: 24 October 2011
The MEC for Education, Dickson Masemola, said even though Prof Victor Ralushai had passed away a fortnight ago, his contributions to matters of national policy would be felt even long after his death.
Masemola was addressing mourners during the funeral service of the renowned academic and anthropologist, Victor Nkhumeleni Ralushai. Ralushai (76) died on Sunday the previous week and was buried on Saturday (15/10) at the Mbaleni cemetery after a service at the Makwarela Roman Catholic Church.
Among the mourners at the funeral were former South African minister Sydney Mufamadi, former Limpopo MEC Seth Nthai,Thulamela Mayor Grace Mahosi, MEC George Phadagi, former Limpopo Speaker Tshenuwani Farisani and the Vhembe District´s Chief Whip, Tshifhiwa Dali. Messages of condolence from across the country were read during the service.
Ralushai had, among his milestones, written more than 20 publications and chaired commissions that dealt with traditional affairs.
Masemola said that his death had robbed the country and especially the province of an asset. “We are here as government to mourn with the family, to pass our condolences to the family at this difficult time,“ he said. He described Ralushai as a matchless scholar whose works speak for themselves, a true African genius and a gift that left a permanent footprint.
“We are today celebrating Mapungubwe as a heritage site because of his research. His knowledge about traditional matters is still needed to solve challenges on traditional leadership,” he added.
Family spokesperson Dick Ralushai said the death was a double blow as they had recently lost another member of the family. “Our tears had hardly dried u;, we are still mourning and then another death in the family. We are just glad that the community has always been supportive. The past two weeks were the most trying, but people rallied around us and we are healing through time," he said.
Prof Ralushai was born at Ha-Ralushai, Mbilwi, in Sibasa in 1935. He was the youngest son of the late Mr Matodzi and Mrs Khangale Nemakhavhani.
Written by
Elmon Tshikhudo
Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019. He currently writes on a freelance basis, covering human rights issues, court news and entertainment.
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