By Rex Mphisa
A protagonist of the Venda language and a pioneer of opposition politics in Beitbridge as well as a strict educator Murunwa Siphuma who died on Christmas day was laid to rest on Sunday.
All speakers and mourners unanimously agreed the late Siphuma was a hero at home in Beitbridge and nationally as a minority languages’ recognition activist.
He was also accorded the title of one of the district’s super drivers of education who stopped at nothing to ensure quality learning was delivered.
His eulogies glowed, even politically.
After resisting being driven into a protected village by the settler regime, Siphuma was forcibly helicoptered to Tshaswingo Protected Village, said Albert Nguluvhe.
Addressing on behalf of acting president Kembo Mohadi, Nguluvhe said Siphuma was “a son of the soil.”
“I dont want to lie that I knew him, no. But his works have been said here and his history speaks. He resisted being taken into a protected village and they forcibly airlifted him by helicopter to Tshaswingo,” said Nguluvhe.
“He helped freedom fighters supplying them with food and clothes which he used his car to deliver. He survived a 1978 landmine blast where three of his passengers perished,” Nguluvhe said.
“He stayed in hospital for over a year after the landmine incident. He is a hero who contributed imensely to other people’s lives. He was a son of the soil and acting President Mohadi asked me to speak on his behalf here,” Nguluvhe said.
He praised the late Siphuma for his self-determination to educate himself after sitting for O levels as an adult and passing.
For his Standard Six, Siphuma was recorded the best student nationally, said Nguluvhe.
Nguluvhe praised the departed Siphuma for advancing the education of the Beitbridge child and said it is sad that to date there are few STEM students from the district.
If everyone had the determination like the deceased Siphuma Beitbridge would have changed, he said.
“I a child of this place and will ensure that I will build 47 laboratories in Matabeleland South. We have few doctors from this region because few oeople were like Siphuma who pushed for education, we must correct that,” he said.
He brought light moments to the mourners when he said people should make more babies to increase the devolution thresholds .
“When we request for development funds they (Cerral Gvt) rate that against our population and we are very few. We are less than two million in both Matabeleland South and North. So we don’t get much, lets make more babies,” he said.
Nguluvhe also spoke against illegal parcelling of land for cash by kraalheads.
He was also against the alarming drugs and substance abuse he said was worrisome and now almost involved many.
“Even teachers, students, policemen, parents.. almost everyone “vhako sticker” (extremely intoxicated) and how can anyone make children in that state? We have to fight this,” he said drawing an applause.
Beitbridge Rural District Council chairman Oscar Chiromo in hus eulogy mourned for corporal punishment.
Like Professor Muswede who spoke before him, Chiromo said drugs and substance abuse is the result of lack of corpral punishment.
“Its not a crime to hit a child to discipline them. It only moulds and should be encouraged. All these drug abusers we see are a result of sparing the whips,” he said.
Chiromo, who said the late Siphuma was a candid disciplinarian, also said if there had been just five people of the late Siphuma’s mould, Beitbridge would be far.
Earlier Perofessor Muswede said he remembered being clapped by the late Siphuma for being late to school when he was in Grade 3.
“I was never late again after that and the clap drove me to higher heights. I was to work under him as a graduate teacher and he continued inspring me,” he said.
The late Siphuma was known for his no-nonsense approach and could be physical to teachers failing to deliver.
He hit teachers who misbehaved.
Former Vhembe High School head Ntshavheni Ndou spoke about how the late Siphuma pushed for the recognition of Venda and other minority languages.
“He was outspoken about it because it was at first taught just in primary but our schools inspectors would pull down Venda charts destroying the language,” he said.
It was the late Siphuma, himself and a white farmer called Cunliffe who pushed for the recogntion of the language.
With financial assistance from one Dambabyika, a businessman, the late Siphuma and his coleagues managed to have Venda introduced at the Great Zimbabwe University.
Senator Tambudzani Mohadi said when she became a legislator the late Siphuma encouraged him to peak in Venda at parliament.
“I have in my phone voice notes from him asking me to speak our language in Harare. He never stopped pushing for the promotion of our language. This is a loss to the Beitbridge community,” she said.
The late Siphuma who died on Christmas Day was born in 1940.
He fathered 10 children an is survived by eight and his wife.
Hundreds of Beitbridge residents thronged his Tshapfuche home to pay homage and bid farewell to the first Movement For Democratic Change candidate to contest an election against Mohadi.
He later joined Zanu PF through a long letter he wrote to the leadership of the ruling party.
He however remained a candid person who remained truthful to the grave.
He was also renowned for being deployed to underperforming schools he turned around.
A few people stayed to witness his final burial after delays saw the veteran educator’s interment scheduled for 7am spilling across the day.
He was later laid to rest well after 3pm after delays caused by a hard rock and designing of his tomb.
Sadly most people had left.