On the 7th of March, we journeyed to the village of Burgersdorp under the Dzanini/Tzaneen local Municipality from under Mompani district.Together with other mourner’s we converged to pay our last respect to the Thuketana homestead. We were there for a funeral, as the family has been struck by a dark cloud.
Burgersdorp is one of many communities under the leadership of the Mhlava royalty.I speak on behalf of the Huvo Ya Vatsonga Council of SA and Sasavona Publishers and Booksellers (Pty) Ltd in support of the Thuketana family, who have suffered a great loss through the passing of their beloved mother,sister,aunt,grand mother or relative, Mama Shilavi Louisa Thuketana.
This is a family that has produced heroes and heroines including the famous author in the Xitsonga language—Mawaku ririmi ra manana, our mother tongue language which is Xitsonga.We speak here of the late Felix Thuketana, the grandson to the Valoyi family/Makaringe clan, and the late principal of Vankuna/ Bankuna high School, Mr. DZJ Mtebule (Mathevula).Vukulu byo hi bee!”Our greatness!”.
The DZJ we speak of here was the uncle of Felix Thuketana, the renowned author of book’s written in the Xitsonga language, book’s such as, Xisomisani, N’waninginingi ma ka ti ndleve, Ndzi ngo ti nciki, “A’ hi fambe Munghana’m,” and many other works or written material in both Xitsonga language or English language by the same author.
Burgersdorp is a big village and home to our heroes and heroines . We speak of professionals and Political leader’s in the like’s of Sakkie Mthembu of the ANC even though she might have been born in Meadowlands Zone 5, Soweto,Gauteng, Dr. Rodney Myakayaka, the likes of Given Mkhari and founder member of Capricorn FM and Power FM regional radio stations in both Limpopo and Gauteng province respectively. We even had the famous author,BKM Mthombeni who hails From Burgersdorp of the ” Mibya ya Nyekanyeka fame or novel” and the late former leader and political representative in government , the late mr Tito Mboweni who use to stay not so far from Burgersdorp in Julesburg, which is also under the Mhlava point of jurisdiction in Burgersdorp.
Our wish as Huvo Ya Vatsonga is for the educated elites and the people we have now, across various parts of South Africa—from Cape Town to Musina—to help the government of the day with some fruitful ideas and for some positive contribution’s to society at large from where they live or in the area where they were born.This is especially needed regarding law enforcement, environmental care or preservation, sanitation ,water, roads, and buildings, career guidance e.t.c so that things do not fall apart and people do not lose hope and strength before we are all destroyed by war and and the scourge of violence in the country, tribalistic tendencies or social arrest. Otherwise, what is the use of having education for the future of this country?
The main core here is that yesterday, the 7th of march 2026, we laid to rest our heroine—a mother, grandmother, and relative, Shilavi Louisa Thuketana. She was the daughter of the late Pastor Jonas Maphophe (also known as N’wa Cauke) from Rolle, who was born and raised in the Mpumalanga area or province (Bushbuckridge). She is a relative through the blood of my grandmother( chairperson of Huvo)Lydia N’wa Cauke, who was married into the Ndleve family from Kurhuleni, Limpopo province under the Collins Chabane Municipality, Vhembe district, though they were people of Valdesia mission station(Lydia and her elder sister N’wa Ximambani who was married to the Marivati family).. Lydia is the one who gave birth to my late mother, Tsakani Ellen N’wa Ndleve Mugwambane. Her grand mother ,N’wa Xibamu who was married to Jonas Ndleve ,the preacher man from the local congregation in Malanye where they come from and at Kurhuleni mission station. Malanye use to be near Pfukani now known as Vuwani area.We are told that our grandma, N’wa Xibamu was married into a polygamous marriage and was forced out of marriage and being the second wife to my grandfather Jonas and was made to separate from her husband living behind her two children , Lydia and Dick Ndleve since the missionaries did not like the practice of polygamous marriage in their church as well justified from the scripture and a great loss to our own African culture tradition or way of life. Dick was the father to my mother , Tsakani Ellen Ndleve Mugwambane.May the souls of all those who have perished rest in peace wherever they are buried and for their loss of life even when they were still alive.
Who among us can forget the likes of Pastor Jonas Maphophe. Years ago and in the beginning, he was faced with great difficulties after being sent by the missionaries from the Swiss Mission in (Xipilongo) or the Zoutspanberg region in the then Northern Transvaal region now known as Limpopo province. He was commissioned by the church to bring development and teach the Word of God as well as reading and writing from among the Vatsonga and Machangana in the “Mhala” area, Bushbuckrige which is now known as Mpumalanga or from the the then eastern Transvaal region under apartheid.The people from that area has since retained their name of Mpumalanga. This was before there were divisions within the Vatsonga people as they were referred to as vaRhonga or Thonga people and before they went scattered either by some war’s or through the process of migration fro and to their area.
Here we talk of people (the Shangaan’s) who initially refused to be taught in the Xitsonga language under some form of protest and the Shangaan’s claiming that they did not want to be taught in the language and by the people they regarded as their “slaves” and that they are our masters demanding to be taught in “their” own language which they said was “isiZulu” though not isSwati as they were also their neighbors despite it being closer to where they live. Eventually, they agreed to be taught in Xitsonga, leading to some development in the area.
We speak of people who were defeated in 1895 in their war against the Portuguese in Vatsonga territories that were plundered and renamed “Portuguese East Africa” during the colonial era. All these is clearly explained in the two books “Hi landza Mpisane and Ta ka Mpisane “by Makamu and Shabangu respectively.
Our heroine, Shilavi Louisa Thuketana, was a true hero based on her deeds and what she accomplished whilst here on earth. She was a hardworking woman—a former nursing sister at the church-affiliated hospital, Shiluvani Hospital. On the other hand, she was a woman of the church who served the Lord faithfully.
In the past, when Sotho and Tsonga people were being separated under the apartheid regime divide and rule regime. It is said that Mother Shilavi Louisa Thuketana was patient and lived with everyone without discrimination and with some undivided attention—unlike what is often seen with some believers and pastors in churches today. You church goer!where is your faith, you who call yourself a believer but mislead people with untruths?
In the Burgersdorp church where she attended church besides being a pastor’s child from Bushbuckrige in Mpumalanga, it is said that Shilavi Louisa Thuketana worked diligently with other women to build the church. They were able to raise funds from their own pocket in order to renovate the church themselves and from their own pocket without waiting for the head office in Bramfontein, Gauteng to do thing’s for them and I believe it is the norm of every church under affiliation of head office to do thing’s on their own.
When you enter the church, it looks very beautiful from inside out and they even raised some money for the erection of a palisade fence for some protection and from around the church premises .
We thank them for such beautiful work, along with the other women—both those still alive and those who have just perished as well as the other church congregants of Burgersdorp who are also members of the same church. Burgersdorp, you are not alone in all this great loss of the beloved mother . God bless your church and God bless Africa and to all the leadership who honour his name in truth and spirit in the matter of faith and for service delivery and in our beautiful land of South Africa and to all our different communities .
May we all try to emulate the life of our great hero, mother Shilavi Louisa Thuketana.
God bless.
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