Political, business, legal elite gather as Tiego Moseneke is laid to rest

A servant, consummate litigator, an orator in the league of Martin Luther King Jr and an intellectual giant par excellence who could hold a conversation convincingly on any topic. 

This is how the late businessman, lawyer and political activist Tiego Moseneke was described at his funeral on Wednesday.  He died in a car accident on his way home last week at the age of 60. 

Mourners — including former president Kgalema Motlanthe, business mogul Patrice Motsepe and his wife Precious, former minister Trevor Manuel, former first lady Zanele Mbeki, EFF leaders Julius Malema and advocate Dali Mpofu, Archbishop Thabo Makgoba and ministers Aaron Motsoaledi and Joe Phaahla — gathered at the Akasia Hall in Pretoria to bid farewell to Moseneke.  

He was the younger brother of retired deputy chief justice Dikgang Moseneke.  

Paying his respects, Deputy President Paul Mashatile — who knew Moseneke for more than 40 years and fondly referred to him as “Ticks” — said they served in the Transvaal United Democratic Front and the Pretoria-Witwatersrand-Vaal executive committee of the ANC and ended up in prison during the state of emergency in 1986.  

Not only was Moseneke a brother and comrade to Mashatile, he was also an adviser and counsellor.

Mashatile said the government was committed to ensuring that the stories of those who contributed to the liberation struggle were told and documented. “I want everyone to remember that we have lost a great mind, a servant of the people, a true revolutionary and a gallant freedom fighter — someone who was forever measured both in thought and in speech, with a lucid mind.” 

Politically, Mashatile says, it was evident that Moseneke was concerned about the renewal of the ANC and the country.  

“We take the wise counsel of Tiego. We are as he suggested setting ourselves on the path for the next 500 years to renew and rebuild our country for generations to come.”  

His wife, Koketso, paid a moving tribute, saying she had often read of how grief can make people lose composure. 

“On the morning of Thursday 20 April when a police officer came to the house not only did grief drag me, it crushed my soul, stole my breath and increased my vocal decibels a couple of notes and then pulled my legs from under me. 

“Snot was running down my nose and it had me grip strangers by their shirts and drag them down with me. It was untidy. It was messy.” 

This chaos, she said, returned on Tuesday when her husband’s body was brought home. 

“I apologise for my totally chaotic conduct on those two nights, I thought I held it well in between but last night the fugitive of grief found its way back to me.”  

She said neighbours and family alike came to pay their respects and project their well wishes. 

“Tiego was the epitome of love and laughter. Love and laughter took camp these past few days, took camp in our living area and I was going to immerse myself in it and put it in packages in multi-litre containers because I am aware that I am going to need them from today onwards.”  

She told mourners she fell in love with her husband the moment she laid her eyes on him. 

“He lived and loved life. He lived and loved abundantly. He lived and loved with zeal and was  deeply compassionate to the disadvantages of others.”  

A man who loved to travel, was passionate about family and gave to a fault, she said. 

She told mourners who wanted to contribute to Tiego’s legacy to participate in the Supreme Cadets Institute and to help build school classrooms.

Delivering the eulogy, retired deputy chief justice Dikgang Moseneke said his brother had “an amazing intellect”. 

Tiego was four months old when Dikgang was sent to serve 10 years on Robben Island.  

While growing up, Moseneke said, “Honesty was prime value in our family system and the deep sense of the self and about a father who decided to stand upright all the time and insist that his dignity will be respected and protected.”  

The Mosenekes were a hard-wired bunch, he said, with Tiego being bullied but when it got to matters of the ANC he was “hard core” revolutionary. 

Tiego had the tenacity to see things through, said Moseneke. 

“Tiego’s distinct gift was his intellect. He was bright. He often fancied that he was brighter than me and he won’t be surprised that I concede that he was brighter than me,” quipped Moseneke.  

His brother often spoke to him about how the ANC “needed to be deconstructed to be reconstructed.” He told mourners that he was worried about the fate of the country. 

“We are in charge of this country, yet we often behave as victims of this country. We rule this place and we ought to behave like rulers ... This is hardly the time to faff and fluff about.”  

Tiego was passionate about his politics and often spoke about the renewal of the ANC.

He was laid to rest at the Zandfontein Cemetery in Tshwane.

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