EThekwini Mayor Councillor Mxolisi Kaunda led a delegation from the City to convey their condolences to the Thwala family in Waterloo, north of Durban, who lost two family members on 17 September. They died after a retaining wall collapsed on them while they were sleeping. The incident claimed the lives of Ngitheni Busani who was in her late 50s and Samkelo Thwala, 16.
Mayor Kaunda made a commitment to work with the family to finalise funeral arrangements. "Our Disaster Management team responded swiftly to the incident and ensured that remaining family members are safe and provided with basic needs. The team will also assist to speed up the investigation to establish what caused the wall collapse," he said.
Meanwhile, Mayor Kaunda also extended his condolences to the family of Johannesburg Executive Mayor Jolidee Matongo. Mayor Matongo passed away on 18 September in a car crash. Mayor Kaunda expressed his shock after hearing of the untimely passing of Mayor Matongo. “We are devastated by this shocking news. We had an arrangement to meet and share our ideas and experiences on how to enhance service delivery and better implement ANC policies where we are deployed by the movement. Our heartfelt condolences to the Matongo family, friends, the community of Johannesburg, councillors, the ANC and the entire nation,” he said.
Mayor Kaunda said the passing of Mayor Matongo was a great loss not only to the people of Johannesburg, but to the nation. “Mayor Matongo was a humble, educated, dedicated, disciplined and selfless cadre of our movement. May his revolutionary soul rest in eternal peace. May his wife and children find comfort in the fact that he left behind a legacy that we are proud of.”