MAGUGU – Internationally renowned cultural specialist, Ms Monica Zwane, affectionately known as Gogo LaZwane, was laid to rest on Sunday after a battle with an unknown illness.
Gogo LaZwane’s life was celebrated during a memorial service organised by the Department of Culture, Sport and Recreation (DCSR), together with the Nkomazi Local Municipality, and Nkomazi FM.
The service, hosted at Church on the Hill, fell nothing short of what the culture enthusiast stood for.
From the decor to the dress code of the attendees, everything was befitting of her values.
“We have lost an icon in the Swazi culture. This is a woman who stood for what she believed in. Our norms and ways of doing things were just safe with her, and today she is no more, we surely have lost a great deal,” said Cllr Thulisile Khoza, the Nkomazi executive mayor.
The service was also graced by the MEC for DCSR, Ms Norah Mahlangu-Mabena, who hailed the role played by Gogo LaZwane in the department.
“She has played her role in a vast manner, no one will ever replace her in her way of doing things and the norms that she helped impart to our younger generation.
“It is a challenge when you lose someone of this magnitude, because you know they can’t be replaced.
“We can only hope to find someone who will be half as dedicated as she was in keeping the cultural pride down to our generations,” she said.
Gogo LaZwane also featured on Ligwalagwala FM’s cultural show.
Artists such as Vusi Mahlasela graced the occasion in celebration of her life.
