ADDRESS BY PREMIER
Thank You Master of Ceremonies .
We are assembled today as colleagues, as neighbours, as friends and as family to mourn the passing of two patriots. Two special colleagues who amongst them gave 48 years of unstingting and loyal service – not only to government – but to the people of the province and the country.
Let me therefore, on behalf of the government and people of Mpumalanga, express our sincere condolences to the Khoza and Makhanya families, relatives and friends. We shared and continue to share your pain.
Today as we gather here in memory of Sis Jane and her husband Thamsanqa Khoza we do so conscious of the fact that some of us have hardly any tears left to shed.
From the time we learnt of their tragic and untimely death, we have cried ourselves to sleep. Sad and broken because to very close friends who strode the public service like giants have fallen.
We grief because two minds whose thoughts have opened the doors of learning to hundreds of children have ceased to function.
Indeed we are mourning because two hearts that held the welfare and the education of our children as a priority, have for ever lost their beat.
Men and women of rare qualities are few and hard to come by. And when they depart, the sense of loss is made the more profound and the more difficult to manage. Yet we do draw from the knowledge that the greater part of the journey that was the passion of their life had been traversed. We draw comfort from the knowledge that Sis Jane and Thami left us a legacy which we shall all strive to emulate.
To the children, family, friends and Colleagues, I know it is difficult for you to accept that Sis Jane and Thami Khoza are no more. You may, in some way feel like the man who at the loss of his loved one wrote:
Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
prevent the dog from barking,
Silence the pianos
and with muffled drum,
bring out the coffin, let the mourners come .
It goes on to say:
The stars are not wanted now: put out every one;
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun;
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood;
For nothing now can ever come to any good .
S'Fungo, Nobomi and Solomzi, it is all too easy to say, “Nothing now can ever come to any good”. As your parents' p hysical bodies lie cold and still, you are hurting.
Hurting because you will no longer be able to turn to them when all around you seem to fall apart.
When someone close is lost, the broken emotional ties leave a deep sense of sorrow and emptiness. But please take comfort in the fact that because your parents e ntrusted the future to God, they are with Him.
Of course you experience grief at your loss, yet joy that your parents are at peace. It's not easy to carry on when someone you love has passed away. It's not easy to face each new day knowing that you will not see your loved one again. Only time can heal the pain and bring comfort and strength with each new day.
Please be comforted by the fact that all of us are with you in prayer and sorrow.
Memories of the past always build treasure safely tucked away within the heart. And when you need comfort may these memories come alive to remind you of the good times you had – the precious moments you shared in the past.
Forever to be cherished are the treasures of the past - for they will always be kept alive in our hearts. And when the treasures go, we will fondly remember the joy that they brought in our memories forever.
May the memories you have of precious past years help to ease the pain and wipe away the tears. You will weep and mourn but not as those who have no hope.
You have the confidence that Jesus gave to his friends Mary and Martha in Bethany when Lazarus died. The living Christ stays with each grieving believer. As he came to be with Mary and Martha, so he will stay with you to help and comfort. You will not be alone. But then if you feel that death is a mistake that ought not to happen, it will tend to make your grief unreal.
You need to realise that death is not a mistake. All who have faith in Jesus Christ can be strengthened by his presence. He helps them to deal with grief. Though the parting is real and painful, we can count on the resources available to us in Jesus, to help us as grief does its slow work.
With the help of Jesus our life can be renewed and deep grief can give way to quiet acceptance and hope. To the children, your parents is with God. And some day, when we too come to die, we shall go to be with them. We all know Sis Jane and Thami were kind and lovely people.
People who were free of the evils of pride, ego, greed, selfishness, envy, jealousy, anger and hatred.
One of the tributes we can pay to Sis Jane and Thami is to deny space to those who do not care for the fundamental aspirations of the people.
We must pay tribute to Sis Jane and Thami by identifying and isolating racists, narrow nationalists and tribalists.
We have to wage an all-out struggle against criminals who continue to prey on our people and society, among other things raping women and abusing children.
We know, dear S'fungo, Nobomi and Solomzi that you feel this pain more deeply. We cannot fully grasp the magnitude of your grief. Please be comforted by the fact that the nation shares your grief; and we shall always be at your side.
Like you, our sorrow is made the more intense because we have lost not just two of our colleagues; we have lost friends whoe qualities are in many respects unequalled.. If you see tears welling in our eyes, it is because we cannot bear saying:
Farewell dear colleagyues, dear sister, friends, dear brother, dear friends!
To the Khoza and Makhanya families. You are hurting and grieving the loss of someone you loved very dearly. For their part, may Sis Jane's and Thami's souls rest in peace.
To all family members let me say: We know that you feel this pain more deeply. We cannot fully grasp the magnitude of your grief. Please be comforted by the fact that we share your grief; and we shall always be at your side.
We pray that God will give you the strength to carry on with your lives.