Avid reader Nqaba brought clarity of thought to mates
Ntswahlana was a vigorous cadre, say comrades
Senior government officials, business people and politicians are expected to descend on King William’s Town tomorrow to pay their last respects to Nqaba Ntswahlana Hobongwana – one of the first Eastern Cape youth commissioners.
Ntswahlana, who was born in 1968, died on June 4 following a short illness. The 51-yearold was born in Mount Fletcher but his family later moved to King William’s Town where he did his senior primary schooling.
That was before he moved to Alice to do high school at Phandulwazi Agricultural High. This was where Ntswahlana cut his teeth in politics. After matriculating, he then went to the University of Fort Hare (UFH), also in Alice, in 1991 to do his BA law degree.
It was here where he ended up joining the SA Students Congress (Sasco), and met the likes of Buffalo City metro’s city manager Andile Sihlahla, his friend and comrade Vuyo Fani as well as BC development agency’s chief executive Bulumko Nelani.
Paying tribute to him at a memorial service at Zwelitsha Community Hall on Wednesday afternoon, Nelani described Ntswahlana as “one of the finest cadres of the ANC”.
“He was disciplined and cared for the plight of people of SA. Nqaba was a true egalitarian and believer in justice for all. This was perhaps the reason he was a student of law.”
After his studies at UFH in 1996, Ntswahlana joined the department of education as a legal administration officer, and left the department two years later. It was at education where he made a remarkable contribution in putting together the Eastern Cape Provincial Schools Act, a provincial version of the South African Schools Act.
He then joined the economic development, environment and tourism department as a legal admin officer, where he got involved in contract management, training of stakeholders in labour relations legislation and policies of the department.
Also paying tribute at his memorial service, his friend and comrade Simphiwe Dzengwa said they were fairly young when they joined the Struggle against apartheid, but Ntswahlana, an avid reader, “distinguished himself through clarity of thought”.
“He kept that character until the last day of his life. It was for his independence of thought, intellectual rigour and stimulating ideas that we elected him into various structures,” said Dzengwa.
Ntswahlana is credited for the seamless establishment of the Eastern Cape Youth Commission, a public entity in terms of the Public Finance Management Act of 2000.
He assumed duties as a commissioner in 1998, while the commission was located under the office of the premier as a sub-directorate.
He later served as a nonexecutive board member of the Eastern Cape Liquor Board for two terms.
Ntswahlana is survived by his daughter Yola, siblings Vuyo, Vuyokazi and Lindelwa, partner Siphokazi and a grandchild. His funeral service will be held at Skenjana Roji Hall in Bhisho tomorrow.
He cared for the plight of people of SA