Alexandrians celebrated the legacy of Constance Khangezile Mngomezulu, one of the township’s most beloved legends who passed away on July 11 at the age of 79 due to a series of health problems and Covid-19.
Mngomezulu founded several organisations in Alex including Nokuthula Centre School for Children with Special Needs, Women for Peace, and Alex-Sankopano Resource and Community Centre.
Moreover, she worked closely with Black Sash to help release political prisoners who were arrested by the former apartheid government.
She founded these organisations that enhanced the lives of citizens in the community around her, no matter their social or economic status, race, or creed.
She was born in the small Free State town of Kestell and began her education at Kestell Primary Bantu Community School and completed her studies at Spruit Secondary School.
With her mother being a nurse, it was a logical career choice for her. Having been accepted at Boksburg Benoni Hospital to pursue her lifelong passion for nursing, she attained a gold medal as the top student in the whole of the then Transvaal.
Later on she worked at Baragwanath Hospital before she was headhunted to work at Alexandra Community Clinic.
As a mother and grandmother, she taught and mentored her children in many ways, including teaching them life skills, homework, Bible reading, cooking, and character-building values.
She has left behind a lasting legacy to everyone with her insistence on living a spiritual value-based life according to the Bible. It is the countless lives she has touched, as well as her siblings, children, grandchildren, and the community at large that will carry on the spirit of her legacy.
Those who knew her described her as an outstanding person who loved the people in Alexandra and the township itself as she dedicated most of her love to serving this community.