EThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba and the ANC mourn the loss of councillor Cheryl Sisoka, 53, whose passing was announced on Tuesday. She was the eThekwini Region Task Team Deputy Coordinator. Her memorial service will be held on Thursday afternoon at Mobeni Heights Community Hall.
Image: Supplied
The eThekwini Municipality and the African National Congress (ANC) in the region are mourning the death of councillor and Deputy Regional Coordinator Ntombifuthi Cheryl Sisoka, who passed away on Tuesday following a short illness. She was 53.
eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba expressed his heartfelt condolences to Sisoka’s family, friends and comrades, describing her death as a significant loss to the City and the broader liberation movement.
Sisoka served as the whip of the Community Services Committee after being elected as a councillor following the 2021 local government elections. Prior to entering public office, she was a municipal employee, having worked in the Office of the Chairperson of Human Settlements and Infrastructure, and later in the Economic Development and Planning Unit.
In addition to her council duties, Sisoka was the Deputy Regional Coordinator of the ANC in the eThekwini region.
Mayor Xaba praised her unwavering commitment to improving the lives of residents across the City, noting that her upbringing in Lamontville played a defining role in shaping her political consciousness.
“Her upbringing in Lamontville contributed immensely to her decision to join the struggle, as she witnessed first-hand how people in townships and rural areas were ill-treated by the apartheid government. She was a disciplined councillor who always emphasised the importance of good governance and accountability. As a City, we have indeed been robbed of her skills and knowledge,” said Xaba.
He added that Sisoka would be remembered for her fearless participation in council deliberations.
“We will sorely miss her fierce and robust debates during council meetings,” said Xaba.
The ANC eThekwini Regional Task Team also described Sisoka’s passing as a major blow to the organisation and the communities she served. In a statement, Regional Task Team Coordinator Simiso Mkhize said her death had come as a shock and left a deep void within the movement.
Sisoka joined the liberation movement at a young age in Lamontville, where she became actively involved in street committees, the high school learner movement through the Congress of South African Students (COSAS), and moved on to the ANC and the South African Communist Party (SACP).
“From her early years of activism, she distinguished herself as a principled and dedicated cadre,” said Mkhize.
“She rose through the ranks of the ANC, serving at both zonal and regional levels, and was later appointed Deputy Regional Coordinator of the ANC in eThekwini.”
The eThekwini Region on Wednesday night announced that her memorial service will held at the Mobeni Heights Community Hall at 3pm on Thursday.
A memorial service has been planned for Thursday at Mobeni Heights Community Hall for Cheryl Sesoka, 53, the eThekwini proportional representation councillor and ANC eThekwini Regional Task Team Deputy Coordinator, who passed away on Tuesday, this week.
Image: ANC eThekwini RTT
At the time of her death, Sisoka was serving as a proportional representation councillor in the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality in ward 99 which covers, uMgababa, Magabheni, Nsulwana, eSiqhingini, and surrounding traditional authority-led areas like KwaSunduzwayo, Amagcino, Mfume, Umnini, and other communities within the larger Illovo/Mgobhozi region and held the position of whip of the Community Services Committee, a role she carried out with diligence and a strong sense of accountability, according to the ANC.
Beyond her political and public service roles, Sisoka was also an accomplished academic, holding a postgraduate qualification, which the party said reflected her commitment to learning, development and the empowerment of society.
She had previously left what was described as a stable position as an inspector at the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSiRA) to focus on politics full-time as a councillor.
Mkhize said Sisoka would be remembered for her vibrant personality, caring nature and selfless leadership, describing her as a unifier who consistently placed the interests of the organisation and the community above her own.
On behalf of the municipality, Mayor Xaba extended his deepest sympathies to Sisoka’s family, friends and the ANC, saying he trusted that her loved ones would find comfort in the legacy she leaves behind.
“We trust that the family will find solace in the fact that she left a legacy that we are all proud of,” he said.
Many of her comrades and friends expressed shock at the announcement of her passing as she had recently been active on her social media accounts posting videos celebrating the ANC's 114th anniversary that was held in Moruleng Stadium, Lesetlheng, in the Bojanala Platinum District Municipality in the North West over the weekened.
Tributes continue to pour in for the ANC eThekwini Regional Task Team Deputy Coordinator, Cheryl Sisoka, 53, whose sudden passing has shocked many. Sisoka was a proportional representation ward councillor in ward 99 under eThekwini in the Southern Region.
Image: Supplied