Mangwe’s youngset councillor, Lastboy Ndebele, dies

Sukulwenkosi Dube Plumtree Correspondent
MANGWE district’s youngest councillor has died after the motorcycle he was riding struck a pole.
Lastboy Ndebele, 25, the councillor for Embakwe Ward, failed to negotiate a curve while travelling on a dust road in Empandeni area and sustained severe head injuries.

He was buried on Tuesday at his homestead in Embakwe area following his death on admission to the United Bulawayo Hospitals on Sunday.

Villagers who witnessed the incident said Ndebele was not wearing a helmet when the incident occurred. They said his head was crushed when it hit against the pole.

Mourners who spoke at his funeral described the late councillor, who was single, as an exemplary youth.

The Chief Executive Officer for Mangwe Rural District Council, Nketha Mangoye Dlamini, said the district had lost a young and proactive leader.

“Lastboy was our youngest councillor in the district. It is not all the time that we have young people coming forth to take up leadership roles within the district. Ndebele was one of the few youth councillors that we have had of late. We value the input of youths a lot in our operations. His death is a huge loss to us as a local authority as he was an active member of the council and he sat in a number of committees,” said Dlamini.

“The councillor has left a void in his ward and in the council. He was the chairperson of the Ward Committee and he also sat in a number of committees at ward level”.

He applauded the late councillor for introducing a number of successful developmental projects in Embakwe Ward. “Ndebele was an example to youths in his area as well as to other councillors in the district. He managed to start a feedlot in his district and he was active in the Rural Wash Programme and as a result his ward benefited from the borehole drilling process during the time he served as councillor. We always had a problem of youths who loiter around aimlessly within the district and each time the district loses such a visionary leader then we count that as a great loss,” said Dlamini.