Mamoepa truly was that accomplished
Government employees in all levels of public service – more so in communication portfolios – who are surprised by the accolades their deceased colleague Ronnie Mamoepa is receiving, must take stock of their contribution in improving government’s work.
Mamoepa, who died at the weekend of complications following a stroke five weeks earlier, has been widely hailed as selfless and dedicated.
His last principal in government, Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, sums up the loss for his department and the country at large: “It remains incumbent on us all to continue to preserve, promote and emulate his legacy of excellence in selfless and dedicated service.”
Even President Jacob Zuma expressed his admiration for Mamoepa’s work, despite him and his deputy now sitting at the opposite ends of ANC’s political divide.
Mamoepa as a unifying force has also seen opposition parties pay homage to his memory.
He’ll also be sorely missed by the media fraternity – not only for his dedication to responding to inquiries from journalists, but also for his energy, wit and intellect.
In a time when so many officials in government departments and parastatals are implicated in incidents of corruption and incompetence, Mamoepa is counted among the few who are still held in high esteem.
Many have bemoaned his “premature” death at the time when our democracy is heading towards a point that would either make it stronger or set it on the path to disaster. It would appear twists of early happenings have marked and shaped Mamoepa’s life until his dying day.
He was just 15 when he was arrested for his political activism. At 18, he was sentenced to five years for “terrorism” and sent to Robben Island. This is where he would begin his long career as a communicator as he devised clever means to pass information to comrades across the island prison’s units.
Dying at 56 is indeed early, but then death is unpredictable like that. We too salute Mamoepa for his contribution in the fight to end apartheid, and for his work to make the new SA a better place – even when that remains work in progress. May he rest in peace.