By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) mayor in the Modimolle-Mookgophong Local Municipality in Limpopo, Marlene van Staden has died.
Van Staden died on Thursday morning at the age of 42.
She was elected mayor following the 2016 local government elections, in the process becoming the only DA mayor in Limpopo.
The DA’s provincial chairperson Jacques Smalle has described Van Staden as someone who brought stability to the municipality.
“We are very saddened by her passing; she played an instrumental role in stabilising the municipality in the past 8 years. She will definitely be dearly missed, yes she had a battle with cancer and she was a brave woman fighting every day.”
DA Federal leader John Steenhuisen says Van Staden was a trailblazing politician and pioneering public servant.
“Marlene Van Staden is known for being instrumental in forging relationships with civil society organisations to better capacitate and improve governance. In many ways, she created the blueprint for the DA’s whole-of-society approach to governance which has the potential to change the face of South African government in its entirety.
“As one of the DA’s flagship mayors, Marlene was dedicated, resilient, and a powerhouse of local government – her strength of conviction and sheer determination softened by a wonderful sense of humour and gentle kindness.
“As a person, Marlene was infectiously buoyant and optimistic, with a can-do attitude and admirable lust for life. There was no task that she did not undertake with immense passion and a sense of genuine and heartfelt goodwill.”
She is survived by her husband and two children.
According to the DA website, Van Staden was born in Empangeni in KwaZulu-Natal and she and her family have lived in Vaalwater, Limpopo, since 1989.
She matriculated at Hoërskool Nylstroom in Modimolle and attended the University of Pretoria where she completed a BCom degree, specialising in tourism management. She also held a postgraduate certificate in education and a BCom honours degree in business management, specialising in financial management, through Unisa.