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ANC mourns death of former uMgungundlovu mayor Yusuf Bhamjee
The ANC described Bhamjee as a champion of transformation and service delivery.
Yusuf Bhamjee wiith late President Nelson Mandela. Picture: X/@suntoshpillay
Former African National Congress (ANC) struggle stalwart and uMgungundlovu municipality mayor Yusuf Bhamjee has died at 74.
Bhamjee passed away on Friday, which is considered a blessed day for Muslims.
According to Islamic rites, he was buried at the Mountain Rise Cemetery in Pietermaritzburg on the same day.
“Champion”
The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) described Bhamjee as a champion of transformation and service delivery.
ANC Spokesperson in KwaZulu-Natal, Mafika Mndebele said Bhamjee will be sorely missed.
“We will remember comrade Yusuf for turning around uMgungundlovu District Municipality into a vehicle for the transformation of the lives of the people.
“As a deployee of the ANC, he used the Office of the Mayor to bridge the gap between the people of Umgungundlovu and prosperity.
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Mndebele said throughout the term of his office Bhamjee displayed an “unwavering commitment to make local government work better for the people.”
“He integrated ordinary members of society into all programmes for service delivery.
“In the process, he left a legacy of making the local government sphere the centre of popular democratic participation.
“He was always smiling, warm, and friendly to the young and old,” Mndebele said.
Sport activist
As a sports activist, Mndebele said Bhamjee understood sports had the potential to unite the people after years of tension created by the apartheid regime.
Mndebele said Bhamjee was awarded the Andrew Mlangeni Green Jacket for his contribution to sport.
“He believed in the rainbow nation, which brought him closer to [late] president Nelson Mandela. He knew exactly what Tata Madiba, the first president of a democratic South Africa, wanted to achieve through sports shortly after 27 April 1994.”
Serving ANC
The ANC also thanked Bhamjee’s family for allowing him to serve the people under the banner of the party.
“We will always remember him for promoting a culture of peaceful coexistence, non-racialism, and political tolerance,” the ANC in KZN said.
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