The skies will weep for the broken ribs of our fallen comrade
By Luthando Bara and Vukile Pokwana
Bongani Gxilishe was a genius and unrivaled in his generation: a civil servant par excellence. His life story is interspersed with the rare characterization of a person his age, lending colour and dimension to a life well-lived. A man who put his people first and love incarnate to family and friends.
It is love that slithers out when we have to define the wholesomeness of Gxilishe’s life – love for humanity, intimately connected to the joys and the hopes, the sadness, and the anguish, joys and tribulations of the human person today. The most authentic thing about Gxilishe was as a gift from his formative years to develop a capacity to create, to overcome, to endure, to transform, to love, and to be greater than the suffering meted out by the erstwhile grotesque government.
POLITICS & PUBLIC SERVICE
Gxilishe’s dizzying ascent through the ranks of the civil service was driven by an extraordinary work ethic and an unshakeable will to deliver transformative change. An energetic and optimistic leader, he never compromised on honesty, including in his advice to MECs and Ministers, and challenged those around him to work in new ways. Mthembu as he was fondly known, wore his seniority lightly and was known for listening with respect to everyone.
His life was laced with a formidable intellect and determination – he never let colleagues off the hook in the pursuit of high standards – was matched by a warm, upbeat nature and a gift for getting along with people. Family, friends, and colleagues alike cherished his kindness and joyous sense of humour. He was more appreciated by those whom he grew up with, especially the ones who were trapped in the hubris of township life and had ample time to listen and chat with them.
The contours of his political conviction were visible from an early age. He led student movements, Azanian Students Organisation (AZASO), and South African National Student Congress (SANSCO) whilst a student at Rhodes University. When political organizations were unbanned in 1990, he was again entrusted with leading the structures of the ANC and the ANC Youth League in Port Elizabeth. He was elected the first ANC Provincial Secretary after the realignment of different regions in the Eastern Cape Province.
Paying tribute on behalf of the ANC, Oscar Mabuyane said Gxilishe was only 29 years old when he was given the responsibility of being the provincial secretary, chosen among competent leaders who were old and were seniors who had just returned from exile.
In our present days, with so many invoking violence as a way, discrimination as a method, and lies as the foundational stone of all what they do, Gxilishe believed in the affirmation of life as a feast that is ‘pleasant’ to God.
He was a well-rounded civil servant who, in his illustrious career, had served a whole-of-government. Mthembu contributed significantly to the debate about how the provision of public services could be improved. He also considered it a privilege to lead the hundreds of thousands of civil servants who work day after day to make people’s lives better.
As the Black Business Forum, we salute him and send our deepest condolences to the people of the Eastern Cape who have lost a son whose self-sacrificing work for human dignity affirmed the principles of life and dignity, and led him to warmly embrace the business sector as a partner in service delivery. He will be remembered for his extraordinary commitment and devotion to the public service, which benefited us all.
CHRISTIAN
The lingering thoughts of life and death, heaven and hell, have driven hordes of men to be closer to God. But for Gxilishe, the spirit. To wallow in the love of Christ and continued to be the manifestation of what it is to be a believer and God-fearing. For Gxilishe, the Young Men’s Guild was about the battle not against flesh and blood, but against spirits and principalities.
The grand scheme of things was about the love for God and humankind. Amadodana were a new site and frontier of struggle within the Church and society, to face down the monsters in our society and bring victory for morality, wisdom and rebuilding a civil society.
CHILDREN
When his children think about the myriad of reasons their father was special, – they will on that occasion be reminded that it was not that he showed affection differently, but the actual physical affection their father used to give and more the unflinching openness with which he used to share it.
They would be lifted and, with gay abandon, remember as clear as day that their father loved them without question. It was not only unconditional. It is evident in its completeness.
We offer our condolences and best wishes to Gxilishe’s wife Thamie, his children, the rest of his family and friends. Tell Mzwai Poswa we live in a time of the forgotten people.
May God comfort everyone affected by your death during this difficult time. Mthembu!!!
