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ODE: Advocate Tiego Moseneke (right), who died in an accident last week, was described as a gentle soul during his funeral service held at the Akasia Community Hall in Pretoria on Wednesday…
By Moseneke Family
A life lived so magnificently defies description by mere words. A life pursued so fulsomely, passionately and without borders should not and cannot be cramped or crowded into a printed page. How do we, within the four corners of a page, do justice to a life that is lived mostly in intense pursuit of liberation and the wellness of fellow patriots.
It may be more appropriate, simply to record that: “ditiro tsa gagwe di a itlhalosa” ornas they say in isiTsonga: “Mintiro ya bulabula.” Even so custom requires us to offer a succinct recordal of his life.
Tiego Moseneke was born on the 8th of November 1962 in Atteridgeville Tshwane. He is the fifth son and last born of Karabo Mabel Moseneke and Samuel Sedise Moseneke who were both school teachers. Ahead of him were brothers; Dikgang, Malatse, Onkgopotse, and Kabelo. Onkgopotse and Kabelo are in eternal rest. Robalang ka kagiso Bakwena.
Tiego attended primary schooling in his home village of Pheli and high school in Mamelodi. His school grades bristled with distinctions and ensured an easy entry into Wits University with a scholarship for an B Com degree and later the law degree. His stay at Wits was of keen and remarkable activism at a time when the grip of racial oppression and colonialism posed a real threat to life and limb of freedom fighters.
Death and long-term detention were real risks as many activists died in detention. Even so, in 1983 he rose through the ranks to become the president of the Black Student Society (BSS). Within and outside the crucible of BSS he led student activism with a notable collective of student activists; including David Johnson, Firoz Cachalia, Moss Mashishi, Chris Ngcobo, Dali Mpofu, Themba Maseko, Terry Tselane and the late Nepo Kekana. BSS was banned. Soon his resistance to apartheid morphed into active membership and participation in the United Democratic Front, which if the truth be told, had a seminal part in rendering the apartheid state ungovernable.
Tiego’s activism came at a significant cost to him and family. He was arrested several times and had his face frequently smashed by security police. He was detained under emergency regulations for two years continuously. Our mother had to visit prison again after Dikgang’s release from prison and Malatse’s release from emergency regulations detention. Whilst in detention, Tiego had frequent asthma attacks and was admitted to Hillbrow Hospital under police guard. None of that shook his conviction to destroy the apartheid regime. He completed his university law degree whilst in detention.
At the dawn of democracy, he became an office bearer in the Gauteng Provincial Executive of the African National Congress and thereafter served in many other multiple senior roles within the ANC. It is indeed no exaggeration to state that for 40 years of his life, from his university youth to now, he stayed remarkably steadfast and faithful towards achieving true liberation of country and its people despite the significant present-day challenges facing his political home.
Tiego set up a successful and highly rated law practice. Soon thereafter he entered into diamond mining and processing through New Diamond Corporation then entered into platinum mining. In continued search for newness, innovation, and commercial disruption he founded Encha Group. Over two decades up to his untimely demise, he created and chaired a dynamic group of companies and steered most internal corporate entities to remarkable success and value creation whilst creating lasting jobs. Virtually all our adult children and over a hundred other employees work at Encha Group, thanks to Tiego’s dedicated tutelage .
As he met his tragic demise, he was again in pursuit of innovation and newness as he announced a dynamic cloud processing and storage capability division of Encha Group. Encha Group offered ample scholarships to young people in law and business.
Tiego made significant corporate donations and one of the significant ones was towards the construction of the Seth Mokitimi Methodist Seminary where Methodist clergy are trained and formed and this he did in honour of our worshiping forebears.
Family was everything to Tiego. He and Koketso were openly and admirably in love for over 30 years. They were blessed with three lovely children, Didintle, Mooketsi and Pako. He assumed a significant parental role towards his wife’s family ba Ga-Maiphetlho.
As for all of us in the Moseneke clan, we know how much he loved us; how much he cared; how much he made us all smile and laugh; how much he shared with us his financial success but above all how, though youngest in our family, bound us together.
He is simply irreplaceable.
Re a leboga Mokwena.
O re tlogetse re sa letile.
Go a galaka. Go botlhoko.
Mme go siame, Mokwena.
Published on the 96th Edition
