The work done by the late Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa on environmental sustainability was a service to all South Africans and will impact generations to come.
“Achieving what she has on environmental sustainability was no small feat, building an Agulhus two, overseeing the oceans economy implementation and protecting our fauna and flora against all odds are all her lasting excellent contributions to our nation,” Higher Education and Training Minister Naledi Pandor said on Wednesday.
The Minister was addressing the official memorial service for Molewa at the Tshwane Events centre.
The Minister passed away at the age of 61, following an illness on 22 September 2018.
“She had found her full passion - sustainability, responsiveness to climate change, protection of the oceans, a world intact for our great grandchildren that is what drove this minister, that is where her immense energy, intellect and resolve really showed,” Pandor said.
She said Molewa was determined to ensure the climate change outcomes in 2011 were of substance.
“She worked tirelessly for that and succeeded. A passion one sees rarely in politics,” Pandor said.
Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga paid tribute to her friend describing her as a fearless woman who was full of energy.
“She had an amazing spirit of getting things done. With her passion we have lost one of the best among us,” Motshekga said.
She said Molewa had a great work ethic and was generous.
“I have lost count of the number of occasions where she always came with her own family resources to rescue families in distress,” Motshekga said.
Her daughter Keneilwe Mogosoa said her mother, who was a giant in the spirit, had an unexplainable presence and yet was gentle.
“She was loving, giving and continually inspired us to be like her. One of the great lessons she taught us was to do things right. She never believed in doing things for the sake of doing things, she was purposeful and intentional in everything that she did,” Mogosoa said.
She said Molewa was a loving mother who ensured that all her children felt loved even when she was travelling.
“We are going to miss getting in her room with her and sitting with her. We will miss her smile, her infectious laugh and her beautiful singing.
“We will miss the times that we spent together cooking in the kitchen. We will miss the crazy Sunday afternoons with the shopping sprees and then dashing back to the house for the nail and hair treat,” Mogosoa said.
She said her mother didn’t have an easy life and faced many challenges in life but she handled it all with grace.
The Minister is survived by her four children, three grandchildren, her mother and six siblings.
Her official funeral will be held on Saturday, 6 October 2018, at Tshwane Events Centre Hall J and proceed to Zandfontein Cemetery in Pretoria West.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared an Official Funeral (category 1) for Molewa.
Official Funeral Category 1 is for serving Ministers, Speaker of the National Assembly, Chief Justice of the Republic of South Africa, Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), Premiers of Provinces and distinguished persons specifically designated by the President of the Republic of South Africa. – SAnews.gov.za
