In a funeral ceremony in the Madiba Banquet halls that reduced councillors to sobs, the municipality bid farewell to the member of the mayoral committee for sports, arts and culture, Moeder Sarah Mokae.
The ANC, SACP and Umkhontho We Sizwe member was fondly remembered as ever-smiling and loving, and a good person who loved her work and executed her duties diligently.
Speaker after speaker paid their respects to Mokae who died tragically in a car accident on the Ventersdorp road on 11 April. The president of NW Cricket, Dr Oupa Nkagisang said when others were still waiting, Moeder had already received a signal to do well in her life.
‘Sports in J.B. Marks was her calling. The North West Cricket was not immune to her charm and her ever-smiling demeanour towards sports. Even though she was not a prolific sports person, she always executed her duties without fail,’ he said. The speaker of the municipality, Elias Mogeemang fought back his tears as he described his colleague. He described her as a soldier who was sent to fight poverty and unemployment and had fought a good fight. ‘When we go to war, we don’t know if we will come back. God has his way of doing things but, with time, we will forget the pain and only memories will remain,’ he said.
We must exercise unity and cohesion in her honour
The executive mayor, Kgotso Khumalo proposed a netball tournament or sports games in Moeder’s honour. ‘We must also exercise unity and cohesion in our society – racial, ethnic and tribal tolerance.’
In a gesture rooted in the ANC tradition of honouring deceased members, the executive mayor of Dr KK Municipality, Barei Segotso-Mosiane presented the ANC flag to Moeder’s grieving mother.
A family friend, Godfrey Motloung, cautioned against bad driving and called on the mourners to always keep to the speed limit. ‘If it was not for reckless driving, we wouldn’t be here. We must not break the law.’
The lively atmosphere in the hall consisted of praise and struggle songs and rendition of poems to celebrate her life.
After the ceremony, the procession continued to the heroes’ acre in the industrial sites. The members of the MKMVA (Umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans Association) carried her to the burial site and the members of the family and councillors conducted rituals and laid her to rest.
