Memorial lecture to honour Collins Chabane

A memorial lecture in memory and celebration of the life of Collins Chabane, the late Minister of Public Service and Administration, was hosted by the African National Congress (ANC) Ike Maphoto branch at Laerskool Pietersburg-Oos hall on Tuesday evening.
While a noble gesture, Chabane’s son Matimba cautioned that people should refrain from using his father’s name for their own benefit. When he took to the podium to represent the Chabane family, Matimba indicated that his family, the ANC and the Collins Chabane Foundation seemed to be on the same page when coming to the protection of his father’s legacy. “Most of us might want to capitalise on his legacy and this is wrong. We should rather work towards a common goal which is to protect the legacy,” he stated. Matimba thanked the Ike Maphoto branch for hosting the lecture on his father’s birthday, 15 April and stated that this meant a lot to the Chabane family.

The lecture was delivered by ANC Provincial Chairperson Stan Mathabatha and Minister of Public Service and Administration, Ayanda Dlodlo. The first one to address the audience was Dlodlo who emphasised that Chabane, in his varied roles in the public service, had demonstrated an enduring intellectual vision and dedication to his work and the people of the country. During the transitional period, he contributed immensely to the development of the country’s progressive constitution, continuing his great work which started in the ANC as the chairperson of the National Executive Committee’s subcommittee on Constitutional Affairs.

“I had the privilege of deputising Chabane as Minister for Public Service and Administration for almost a year. I was particularly impressed by his passion to improve the functioning of frontline services in the public service, including the performance of frontline staff who deal with members of the public directly,” Dlodlo stated.
Mathabatha said Chabane served the organisation with utmost diligence and never disappointed in his responsibilities. He urged politicians to strive to be like Chabane whose name was never associated with scandals.

Story & photos: ENDY SENYATSI
>>endy@observer.co.za