ROYALS JOIN THE FIGHT AGAINST CANCER
AbaThembu acting King Azenathi Dalindyebo hopes cancer awareness campaign will save lives
AbaThembu royal family and acting King Azenathi Dalindyebo over the weekend launched a campaign to raise cancer awareness in the hope that early detection will help save lives.
This is in memory of one of the traditional leaders’ wives, AbaThembu and Madiba royal clan, Nkosikazi Wendy Nombasa Mgudlwa, 41, who was buried at Qhumanco Great Place near Ngcobo on Saturday after she died of lung cancer.
Mgudlwa, a respected maths teacher in the Ngcobo district, was also the deputy maths examiner in the Eastern Cape and principal of Gwarhubana Senior Secondary School in Ngcobo.
She succumbed to cancer on August 10 after being diagnosed in November.
She was the wife of Prince Jingiso Mgudlwa of AmaJumba and a close relative of AbaThembu monarchs King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo, King Siyambonga Matanzima as well as former president Nelson Mandela.
AbaThembu acting king officially launched the campaign at her funeral, saying: “We can all learn from the demise of Nkosikazi Nombasa.
“Cancer is a silent killer and is killing our people.
“We all need to be vigilant and ensure that we are aware of its dangers.”
He urged people to go for regular tests.
“Traditional leaders and other men from their communities must get tested for prostate cancer and women traditional leaders and all other women should go for pap smears and other tests for cervical cancer.
“When cancer is detected in its early stages it can be cured, especially prostate cancer.
“Look at Archbishop Desmond Tutu. He is a cancer survivor and there are many other cancer survivors.
“Heads of nations like myself, heads of traditional councils and other traditional leaders and their wives should set an example and be vigilant and go for these tests so that their people can learn from them,” Dalindyebo said.
He said there would be programmes so that every traditional leader from the king, to senior traditional leaders and iinkosana and iibhodi could offer cancer awareness programmes.
Mgudlwa said the death of his wife who had been married to him for 20 years and with whom he shared three children Asavela, Olwethu and Kwandile, had left him empty inside.
“I think the launch of the cancer awareness campaign may sooth my wounds over the death of my wife and it will remind me of the good person she was,” said Mgudlwa.
The funeral was attended by hundreds of mourners including traditional leaders, education officials, teachers unions, politicians, government leaders, MECs and taxi bosses as her husband is Border Alliance Taxi Association deputy president.
Road & transport MEC Weziwe Tikana, who represented education MEC Mandla Makupula, said she appreciated the role played by Nkosikazi Mgudlwa in promoting mathematics not only in Ngcobo but in all of the Eastern Cape.
We all need to be vigilant and ensure that we are aware of its dangers