Accomplished communicator: Tributes pour in for Nehawu’s Khaya Xaba

The department of health said Xaba succumbed to Covid-19 related complications on Sunday morning.

PRETORIA, June 14 (ANA) – South Africa’s acting Health Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane has paid tribute to late National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) spokesman Khaya Xaba, describing him as a respected colleague in health communications and social transformation.

Xaba died from Covid-19 related complications on Sunday morning.

“We grieve with the family at a time when Covid-19 continues to rob us of our young leaders, of whom so much was still expected,” Kubayi-Ngubane said in a statement.

“Mr Xaba was a well admired and respected cadre of social cohesion. He conducted himself with the utmost professionalism and easily established rapport with colleagues in the department of health. He constantly sought to deepen his knowledge by actively engaging issues affecting the constituencies he served.”

Xaba joined Nehawu in 2016 as a media liaison officer from the Young Communist League of South Africa (YCLSA).

In a statement on Sunday, Nehawu said Xaba was promoted to the position of national spokesperson for the labour union due to his dedication, commitment and hard-work.

On Monday, the YCLSA called him a fine product of the organisation who was committed to the global working-class struggle for social justice.

“He joined the mass democratic movement through the Young Communist League of South Africa at a very young age and remained a dedicated and committed cadre to the ideals and principles of our organisation until the very end,” YCLSA spokesman Dloze Matooane said.

The ruling African National Congress (ANC) party said Xaba was “a committed and hard-working cadre who dedicated his revolutionary life to the struggle of the working class”.

“He was an accomplished communicator who articulated the views of Nehawu with absolute clarity and conviction. He will be remembered for his fierce and uncompromising defence of the rights of workers,” ANC spokesman Pule Mabe said.

“The ANC conveys its heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and the mass democratic movement. We hope they will find solace in the knowledge that their loss is shared by the whole nation. We wish them strength and comfort during this difficult period. May his revolutionary spirit rest in power!”

– African News Agency (ANA), Editing by Stella Mapenzauswa