Marivate, a medic for all seasons
Workaholic doctor will be missed
Born: July 11 1924 Died: December 4 Funeral: Tomorrow at EPCSA church at Valdezia, from 6am Burial: Valdezia cemetery
The medical fraternity in SA is reeling in shock after the passing of well-known Dr Charles Daniel Marivate.
The medic is a member of the well-known Marivate family of academics in Valdezia outside Ha-Mashau in the Makhado municipality.
He was born to the legendary Rev Daniel Cornel Marivate and his also late wife Bertha N’waJonas Manhengeni in 1924.
His father wrote Sasavona, the first Xitsonga novel, in 1936. The Marivate family was once regarded by a reputable magazine as one of the brainiest families for having more than 40 university degrees among family members.
Dr Marivate, who died on Monday after a short illness, received his primary education at the Valdezia Primary School, his secondary education at St Peter’s High in Johannesburg and a BA degree at the University of Fort Hare in the Eastern Cape in 1950.
In 1952, he enrolled for the Bachelor of medicine at the University of Natal, and obtained his degree in 1958.
In 1986, at the ripe age of 62, Marivate scored another medical qualification when he passed the postgraduate family medicine degree at Medunsa. He was working as a parttime lecturer at the medical university at the time. In 1993 Medunsa conferred on him an Honorary Doctorate degree.
Marivate, however, began his work life as a teacher at Mashau Primary School in 1945. Two years later, he left to teach at the Lemana College in Elim. Then from 1960 to 1963, after spending six years at the medical school in KZN, he worked as an assistant medical officer at the Shiluvane Hospital near Tzaneen.
He then moved to GaRankuwa, north of Pretoria, where he became the first general practitioner and the only medical service in that region as there was no hospital or government clinic at the time.
He provided a variety of medical services, including midwifery and home-based care. His private car often served as an ambulance, transporting very sick patients to the Pretoria Academic Hospital (now Steve Biko Academic Hospital).
Marivate established a successful group practice with his partners for many years. They established practices in Winterveld, Mabopane, Soshanguve and Motla near Hammanskraal.
These practices also served as places of internship for dozens of newly qualified doctors who worked as locums.
On retirement in 1989, he moved back to his home village at Mahamu village, where he established a solus practice from 1990 until 2013 when he retired permanently.
Marivate was president of SA Medical Discussion Group, among other many positions he held in the profession.