Africa-Press – South-Africa. EFF MP Thembinkosi Apleni was found dead at his Sweet Waters township home in Qonce on Friday.
He was 49 years old.
His distraught family confirmed he took his own life.
Apleni was married for 13 years to Nombuyiselo Apleni, 36. They have two children, aged 15 and 5.
He also has an 18-year-old daughter from a previous relationship.
Nombuyiselo’a brother, Bishop Vuyani Msadu, the family spokesperson, said the Msadu and Apleni families were devastated, but were supporting his wife and children.
“We are really shocked to have lost him as we had been expecting a lot from him, especially because he had small children. He was a lovely brother-in-law with a sense of humour. He will be sorely missed.”
Msadu added that Apleni not only looked after his own family and served his party diligently, but he also served the public at large by taking care of people.
“We will never find his kind again,” said Msadu.
In a statement, the EFF said Apleni was dedicated to improving the lives of others.
He will be remembered during a memorial service organised by the party in the Eastern Cape on Thursday.
The event precedes a funeral service to be held at Arc Christian Centre on Qonce’s Buffalo Road on Saturday.
Both services will be held in Qonce (formerly King William’s Town).
The party asked the public to join in celebrating and bidding farewell to Apleni.
Apleni joined the EFF in 2014 – a year after Julius Malema formed the party.
In 2015, he was elected as its regional secretary in the Buffalo City region.
He then served as the party’s PR councillor in the Buffalo City metro, from 2016 until 2019.
Apleni spent his last two years as a deputy chairperson of the EFF in the province after being elected in 2018.
In last year’s EFF provincial elections, Apleni was elected as its provincial treasurer.
Apleni held a diploma in para-legal studies.
He had been a member of Parliament’s National Council of Provinces (NCOP) since 2019.
The Speaker of the National Assembly, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Ngqakula, and the chairperson of the NCOP, Amos Masondo, expressed shock and sadness at the news of Apleni’s death.
In a statement, the National Assembly said: “Parliament is saddened by the unexpected and sudden passing on of Member of Parliament, Mr Thembinkosi Apleni.”
Mapisa-Nqakula said Apleni would be remembered for his passion for the youth, his quest to contribute to curbing youth unemployment and to improving the conditions of the indigent in South Africa.
“We send our deepest and heartfelt condolences to his family, the province of the Eastern Cape, and the EFF for the loss and unimaginable pain,” said Mapisa-Nqakula.
Eastern Cape police spokesperson Warrant Officer Majola Nkohli said an inquest docket had been opened.
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