Johannesburg – Tributes have continued to pour in for the late ANC KZN media liaison officer and former journalist, Mduduzi Mvubu.
The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal said Mvubu died on Sunday after stomach complications.
The party said that it would later release details of the arrangements for Mvubu’s funeral.
The ANC Women's League (ANCWL) in KwaZulu-Natal also expressed its sadness over Mvubu's sudden death.
“We are deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Comrade Mvubu. He was a loyal, humble and dedicated servant of our movement. Comrade Mvubu was a distinguished communicator who served the ANC and all its leagues with humility, diligence and excellence. He worked hard to ensure that the message of the ANC and its leagues in the province reached our masses," said ANCWL provincial secretary Nonhlanhla Gabela.
She said because of his background as a former journalist, Mvubu had been an idealist and a critical component of the ANC’s Department of Information and Publicity (DIP) and that he had earned his stripes in the ANCYL, where he had volunteered his skills since 2015.
“One of the qualities he possessed was an immeasurable love for human beings and sensitivity to their plight. In the corridors of the ANC office, he greeted everyone with a huge smile and never complained when given tasks to fulfil.
"The ANCWL dips its revolutionary banner in honour of Comrade Mvubu, who worked for Ilanga newspaper, the Daily Sun and Sunday Sun before joining the ANC’s DIP unit," said Gabela.
Before joining the ANC, she added, Mvubu had dedicated his life to the struggle for the people, using his sharp pen to highlight the plight of communities and to hold those in authority to account.
"Comrade Mvubu was a fountain of knowledge who marvelled at narrating moving stories about South African art industry and often used his talents to highlight the plight of artists. He was passionate about South African music, especially the traditional Maskandi genre.
“In the years we spent with Comrade Mvubu, he displayed a sharp understanding of issues facing the women of our country and helped the ANCWL KZN to clearly articulate its position in complex issues through several media statements he issued. To the ANCWL, the death of Comrade Mvubu is a huge loss to the movement,” Gabela added.
Kwazi Mshengu, KZN Education MEC and chairperson of the ANCYL in the province, described Mvubu as a man with a gentle heart.
"Death has no shame. The love you had for the ANC and Youth League was amazing. You served both these organisations unflinchingly. You were satisfied to serve in the administration not as leadership.
"I have no doubt that you would have been among those who would cross the renewal fence with no one asking questions ukuthi ufike njani la (how you arrived there). Hamba kahle Mdu Mvubu mfanakithi (Go well Mdu Mvubu my brother)," Mshengu said.
In her tribute to Mvubu, Nontombeko Boyce, ANC KZN PEC member and speaker of the KZN provincial legislature, said:
"Nothing is final and still as death. Thinking of your journey of service within the ANC KwaZulu-Natal office and the timing of your eternal departure makes the wound so much deeper."
Thobile Nxumalo, under whose editorship Mvubu worked as an entertainment journalist at Ilanga and Media24, said Mvubu's death had come as a shock because it had occurred so suddenly.
She said that because of his passion for theatre, having travelled around the world with internationally acclaimed playwright Mbonengi Ngema, Mvubu had excelled in entertainment reporting as he had a vast contact base. He was perfectly suited to the entertainment beat and wrote numerous stories on the happenings at the Durban Playhouse and the South African State Theatre in Pretoria.
"He was always the humorous one in the newsroom because when things got tense in diary meetings, he would always try to find a way to dilute and ease that tension by making a funny remark. If his story idea was being bashed and being dropped from the diary, he would always motivate for it to be included and would even laugh at himself.
"He was a fun guy to work with because he wanted to ensure that he worked on his story and completed his story – even if it meant working and returning to the office late, he ensured that he returned with his story. His passing is really a shock, especially since he was not ill for long. We will always remember him because he had a unique personality and I hope that his family, comrades, friends and media practitioners who knew him will find comfort," Nxumalo said.
Political Bureau