Cofimvaba ANC businessman remembered
FAMILY of deceased Cofimvaba businessman and ANC member Sicelo Sakawuli said they would remember him for his dedication to political and economic freedom driven by the love of the community.
“He straddled political and economic liberation like a giant, but still cared for his family and the community at large. He has done everything he could and we hope that he will rest in peace,” said his brother Khaya.
Sakawuli died on Youth Day complications.
Born in Magwala Village of Cofimvaba, he attended Mcumngco Primary in Cofimvaba and Matyeba Higher Primary schools in Tsolo.
He later completed his matric at Mthatha Technical College in 1977.
Sakawuli enrolled in Fort Hare University in 1978 where he completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in 1983 and a BCom (Hons) degree in 1987.
His studies were interrupted when he and others were expelled from Fort Hare in 1980 and 1982. During that intermission, Sakawuli worked as a clerk at Western Deep Levels in Carletonville.
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He further went on to obtain a BProc legal degree in 1999 and Bachelor of Laws (LL) and Masters in Law (LLM) degrees at Unisa in 2000.
On completion of his first degree, Sakawuli joined Nobuzwe and Nokwanda Wholesalers in Ngcobo.
His first business venture in 1985 was the establishment of the family business, Sakawuli’s Supermarket, which he ran until 1987 and then opened the Sakawuli’s Wholesalers.
Leaving the businesses in the care of family members, Sakawuli served as nonexecutive director at Transkei Corporation and then joined Coopers & Lybrand as an articled clerk before taking the position of project manager for the Ncora Irrigation Scheme in 1994.
The need to restructure these schemes saw him become the strategic advisor to government on the restructuring of all the irrigation schemes in the Eastern Cape.
His career spanned many state-owned enterprises. Sakawuli resumed his entrepreneurial pursuits by forming his consulting business, Sebethu Corporate Services, serving as a consultant in a joint venture with PricewaterhouseCoopers in establishing the Regional Electricity Distributors.
Ailing health forced him into early retirement in 2006, but he continued working part-time until 2008.
Sakawuli is survived by his wife, children and siblings.