Rose Tatane a community builder in her own right
Soweto-born widow of Andries a quiet activist
Born: December 2 1984 Died: May 1 2017
Funeral: May 13, Mapenyadira Community Hall, Meqheleng
Similar to her late husband, Rose Tatane, 32, was very hands-on in the upliftment of her community despite being overshadowed by her outspoken, philanthropic spouse.
Rose, the widow of the late activist Andries Tatane, died in a car crash in Lesotho on Monday night while travelling with her driver.
The driver allegedly lost control of the vehicle and it veered off the road and plunged into a crop farm. The two died at the scene.
Rose’s death comes just three weeks after she and her community in Ficksburg, Free State, held a commemoration for Andries. He died aged 33 from police rubber bullets during a service delivery protest in Ficksburg on April 13 2011.
Rose’s elder sister, Pinky Mohlaping, said when Andries died Rose took over the baton but in a very subtle way.
“She was usually a loud person but she changed when she started dating Andries,” Mohlaping said.
“He was six years her senior so somehow Rose calmed down and also focused on community development projects.
“At the time of her death she was a member of the school governing body at St Joseph Primary School and also ran an environmental project to clean the Caledon River.
“She was also a staunch churchgoer.”
Rose Mohlaping was born and raised in Jabulani, Soweto, the last born of five children.
They were raised by a single mother who worked as a general worker for a plumbing company in Isando, Kempton Park.
Rose attended school at Mekang Primary School. In 1994 her mother was retrenched and packed up to leave Gauteng for her home in Ficksburg.
“Rose was still young [aged 10, when she moved to Ficksburg]. She didn't know much about what was happening,” said Mohlaping.
“She was just bubbly. We grew up speaking Zulu and she had to learn Sotho from her new friends in Ficksburg. We lived in a four-room house that my mother had built while working in Johannesburg.”
Rose went to Masaleng Primary School and then Boitumelo High where she matriculated in 2002. She then enrolled for a computer course and it was at this time that she met Andries who was helping her with her studies.
They were married in 2009, after the birth of their son, who’s now 10.
The couple also had two boys, both aged 14 years, from their previous relationships.
Rose is survived by two siblings and her children.