By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Friends, Family and former colleagues gathered at the Bryanston Methodist Church to bid farewell to the late legendary Dumile Mateza, who had a broadcasting career spanning more than three decades in mainly sports commentary, passed on last week after a long illness.
Daughter Tutula paid tribute to her father who she says he also instilled in her the culture of reading and communicating properly.
“I think the best thing my father taught me was speaking. I was a terrible speaker. The first time I asked my father to help me with an oral, he said Tutula why do you speak in a monotone,” says Tutula Mateza.
Described by many as an all-round and multi-lingual sports commentator, Mateza had become popular in the 1980’s.
Mateza, was born in Kareedouw in the Eastern Cape, became popular as a versatile sports commentator at the SABC in the early 1980s.
The former schoolteacher was renowned for his versatility – he was able to commentate in different South African languages, namely IsiXhosa, Afrikaans and English.
Mateza will be remembered for doing commentary in Afrikaans during the 1995 Rugby World Cup which the Springboks memorably won when they beat the All Blacks 15-12 in the final at Ellis Park.
He was also a former Boxing South Africa (BSA) board member.
The procession departed for the Fourways Memorial Park at the end of the service to take Mateza to his final resting place.
Mateza is survived by his wife, Xoliswa and two daughters. Hamba Kakuhle Nala,Ndokose.
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Video Courtesy of ENCA.