PALI LEHOHLA | We owe Thami Mtshali curiosity to do as he did and uplift humanity
The Pan-Africanist behind iBurst and Galela died in Soweto on October 9 aged 57
A man with a big heart who implemented big ideas has left us. In my profession, we are known as people counters. But when you become a statistician-general you tend to be barred from this important task. You hardly enter homes or talk to individuals. This is left to enumerators. The last time I engaged in such a task on a protracted basis was when I was a development researcher at Agricor in Bophuthatswana 32 years ago. In all subsequent surveys over which I presided, getting into households was more a gesture of ensuring the teams in the field were motivated because I was there with them. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that post-retirement I would be phoning people to collect data. It was from May 2021 to April 2022. I learnt with time that when Thami Mtshali called, his teeth came off with flesh. This great son of the soil joined the AmaGalela clan’s ancestors on October 9...
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