There were tears, sorrow and pain as slain Rama City leader Hendrick Mpho Nthite got buried on Thursday.
Rama City is situated on the outskirts of Ga-Rankuwa in the north of Tshwane.
Nthite was gunned down in Ga-Rankuwa last week on Monday 10 March while in the company of his brother, who by luck has survived.
During the funeral ceremony, speaker after speaker described Nthite as a compassionate man of honour and a visionary.
One of the residents Sinah, who is also a member of the Rama City Committee, described Nthite as a stylish man who took care of himself personally and also looked after the well-being of the community at large.
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Mourners at the funeral of the late Mpho Hendrick Nthithe photo by Dimakatso Modipa
“Nthite brought many positive changes to the people of Rama, some of whom were living in shacks but today are accommodated inside their own RDP houses because of Nthite’s efforts,” she said.
“White was a selfless, honest man who didn’t take bribes from the people that he helped to secure RDP houses,” she said.
“It’s a pity that in many instances people are glorified only after their deaths and while they are still alive we criticise and condemn them,” she said.
“Nthite used to tell us that he didn’t expect to be awarded a certificate of honour by the Rama community for his efforts, because his work was inspired by God and his ancestors to do right things for the people of Rama City,” said Sinah.
“Better things were still in the pipeline for the residents of Rama under the leadership of Nthite, but unfortunately his life has been cut short by evil men,” she said.
Sinah insisted that Nthite didn’t even have a single construction company but instead made sure that ordinary citizens benefited from the projects that took place at Rama City.
Sinah praised the late Nthite for being against ageism, which is a system whereby people who are already in their 50s and 60s are denied employment opportunities.
She pointed out that most investors involved in the development of Rama City are from Israel.
Besides numerous development projects like clinics, schools and library, Nthite made sure that a museum was built in Rama City.
Nthite also managed to get former President Jacob Zuma to visit Rama City in 2015 to see for himself the development projects that were taking place in the area.
“To those who conspired to kill Nthite, I am asking whether you carried out this dastardly act so as to take over from him and benefit yourselves at the expense of the community, but we leave this matter in the hands of God,” lamented Sinah
She revealed that some of the people who used to work with the late Mpho Nthite, like Collen Mashawane, couldn’t attend the funeral service as they received threats that they will be gunned down as well.
She added that she as well has received death threats.
She said during the Covid-19 crisis Nthite made sure that families who couldn’t work due to the lockdown restrictions received food and items like sanitisers, hand soaps and musks to make sure that they survived the pandemic, and as result Rama City didn’t have any Covid-19 related deaths.
“Nthite was a peaceful man who loved progress and as members of the Rama City committee that was working with him, we vow to continue where he left off and make sure that Rama City gets developed up to the standard that he had envisioned,” she said.
Speaking on behalf of the Nthite family at the funeral, Dr Oscar Nkoana lambasted individuals who, through their actions and words, have worsened the pain felt by the Nthite family in the days leading to the day of his fuberal.
He said Nthite’s life ended because of his commitment to the community of Rama Cuty and that his commitment would be futile if the community doesn’t carry on with the work that he was doing for the people of Rama City.
To members of the Rama City Committee, of which Nthite was chairperson, Nkoana said the following:
“If the course is true, fair and justifiable, then there is nobody that can delay you in your efforts, carry on and gather strength to fight on.” Resident Lena Mahlangu said:
“We will remember Mpho for the beautiful work he did for Rama City and I must say that Mpho was a man of his word because whatever he promised to do he would actually do, and under his leadership he made sure that many things happened by consulting with residents.”
She said “today we are very proud as women of Rama City because Mpho has empowered us and his memory will always remain with us.”
The late Hendrick Mpho Nthite was born on 19 May 1965 and met his untimely death on 10 March 2025.
The copy of a obituary of the late Mpho Hendrick Nthithe:
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