YUSUF Bhamjee, the former Mayor of the Umgungundlovu District Municipality, died earlier today, a week before what would have been his 75th birthday.
A statement issued by the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal, referred to Bhamjee as a "loyal member of the ANC and a champion of service delivery".
"We will remember comrade Yusuf for turning around uMgungundlovu District Municipality into a vehicle for the transformation of the lives of the people. As a deployee of the ANC, he used the Office of the Mayor to bridge the gap between the people of Umgungundlovu and prosperity.
"Throughout the term of office, he displayed an unwavering commitment to make local government work better for the people. He integrated ordinary members of society into all programmes for service delivery. In the process, he left behind a legacy of making the local government sphere the centre of popular democratic participation," said the statement.
It added that Bhamjee was "always smiling, warm, and friendly to the young and old".
"Critically, as a sports activist, he used sports as an instrument to ensure that young people and the entire nation embarked on a journey of self-discovery as we emerged from the apartheid past. He believed in the Rainbow Nation, which brought him closer to President Nelson Mandela. He knew exactly what Tata Madiba, the first President of a democratic South Africa, wanted to achieve through sports shortly after the 27th April 1994.
"He understood that sports had the potential to unite the people of this country after years of tension created by the apartheid regime. It is not surprising that he was awarded the Andrew Mlangeni Green Jacket in recognition for his services to sports activism in the province.
"As we dip the ANC banner in honour of this leader of society, we thank his family for allowing him to serve the people under the banner of the ANC. We will always remember him for promoting a culture of peaceful coexistence, non-racialism, and political tolerance. May the departed soul rest in peace."
Bhamjee would have turned 75 on January 10.
His funeral will be held at the Mountain Rise Cemetery this afternoon.