Former Durban deputy mayor Nomvuzo Shabalala dies of Covid-19

Former Durban deputy mayor Nomzuvo Shabalala died on Saturday of a Covid-19 related illness, parliament confirmed.

Shabalala was a MP at the time of her death.

National Assembly speaker Thandi Modise and National Council of Provinces chair Amos Masondo expressed their condolences to Shabalala's family and friends.

After leaving the Durban-based eThekwini Municipality, Shabalala joined parliament in 2019, where she served on the portfolio committee on basic education and the joint committee on ethics and members interests.

In a joint statement, Modise and Masondo said: “Despite being a relatively new parliamentarian, Shabalala swiftly familiarised herself with the workings and complex systems of the legislature. She was diligent and hardworking, particularly in the committees she served, where she helped bolster oversight over the country’s basic education system and ethical conduct of public representatives.”

They added: “The continuing and unprecedented loss of human life due to the Covid-19 pandemic was distressing, and once again underscored the indiscriminate nature of the virus.

“Unless as South Africans we work together to combat the rate of infection by adhering to all the known and widely publicised protocols, this pandemic and its second wave will continue to cause untold suffering and severe hardship to families, communities and livelihoods.”

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