Scotch a true man of the people
Legal eagle was a fan of soul music, gym fanatic
Born: April 12 1957
Died: October 4
Funeral: Tomorrow at Revealing Christ Champion Church, Mpheni village in Elim, Limpopo, from 7am
Burial: Waterfall Cemetery
Patlee Mawelewele Rambau, affectionately known as “Scotch”, was born in 1957 at Shirley village in the Elim area in Limpopo.
He also earned the sobriquet of “Sledge”, after the American soul music sensation Percy Sledge because of their similar hairstyle.
His parents Thomas and Annah Rambau had six children.
In 1977, he could not finish grade 11 due to student unrest which led to his expulsion from high school. He was in the core leadership of the underground cell that organised and coordinated the unprecedented student boycott, involving students from all the secondary and high schools in Venda on October 19 1977.
This culminated in a large political rally at Sibasa Stadium. Police were called in and fierce clashes ensued. Bantustan government buildings, including ministers’ houses in Thohoyandou, were torched and destroyed.
In 1978 and 1979, he proceeded to Lwamondo High where he passed grade 12.
In 1980, Rambau registered for a BProc degree at the University of the North (Turfloop) and finished junior law degree in 1983 before topping it up with the LLB two years later.
He had been married to Bonini Rambau (nee Magoleng ) since February 1981. The couple were blessed with eight children.
Between 1987-1999, he joined African Bank as a legal manager. He was committed to genuine black empowerment. He played a significant role in drafting legal instruments to provide financial assistance to emerging black entrepreneurs. These also included home loans to many black professionals denied access to finance by established banks.
He served articles of clerkship and was admitted as an attorney of the high court. In 2009-2018, Rambau established his own law firm under the name of Rambau and Associates.
My dear friend loved cleanliness. He would not mind spending an hour in the morning in front of a mirror treating his hair.
He enjoyed being in the company of friends listening to soul music and debating political and social matters.
He was also obsessed with physical fitness, making trips to the gym part of his life for the past 40 years.
Rambau died on Thursday last week after a short illness.
He is survived by his wife, eight children, one sibling, nine grandchildren and other members of his extended family. Rest in peace Sledge!