Vuyo Mbuli – Mwalimu – Africa’s Great Teacher

Please join me in offering heartfelt sympathies and condolences on the loss of our colleague and friend, Vuyo Mbuli who passed away on Saturday evening, 18th May 2013.

Sad as his death may be, we are grateful for his life as Africa’s Great Teacher, Mwalimu (Swahili for Great teacher). Great teachers never die, their presence is always felt and his soul and memory will live forever.

Vuyo collapsed while watching a rugby match between the Cheetahs and the Reds at the Free State Stadium on Saturday night. He was treated at the scene before being rushed to the Mediclinic hospital in the city. He was 46.

Vuyo joined the SABC in 1993 on the old Sports Channel and moved through the ranks and has been co-host of Morning Live for the past 9 years – at the time of his death he had given 20 years of dedicated and committed service to the SABC. Not only was he a revered Radio and TV broadcaster but will also be remembered for being a great teacher and storyteller. Audiences tuned in every day to hear his voice and to listen to his wisdom and greatness. Through the years, audiences couldn’t start their day without a cup of coffee and seeing Vuyo on Morning Live. Many audience members felt that whenever he opened his mouth, out came love and laughter which is so like his name because Vuyo means Joy and Happiness. What a compassionate, serving Ambassador of Joy that will be sorely missed.

Vuyo, thank you for your great lesson that Actions speak Louder than Words and that the Universe Applauds ACTION and not Thought!! Grace and Gratitude for dedicating your sunrise to each and every audience member Monday to Friday for 9 years without fail and with unconditional love, enthusiasm and passion. Thank you for sharing your wisdom, knowledge, awareness, advocacy, stimulating enquiry, bringing information, education and entertainment every day – the reason why the SABC exists.

Take it upon yourself to express grace and gratitude for his life, and the infinite joy and wisdom that he leaves behind in whatever way you can (prayer, meditation, song, teaching, reading, sport, storytelling, etc) for 20 minutes a day for 20 days. An open invitation to all teachers especially the graduates of Soweto College to create a 20 minute chatroom to remember and to share the great lessons of this unforgettable teacher who spent 46 years guiding, serving, empowering, inspiring and uplifting Africa.

V – Visionary, Versatile, Visual, Vivid
U – Unforgettable, Uniting, Unlimited, Unshakeable
Y – Young, Youthful, Yielding, Yearning
O – Offbeat, Omniscient, Optimistic, Otherworldly

M – Meticulous, Methodical, Mighty, Merciful
B – Boisterous, Balanced, Boundless, Bright
U – Unrivaled, Unique, Unbreakable, Unexplained
L – Living, Loving, Learning, Leaving a Legacy
I – Intriguing, Inspiring, Innovative, Intellectual

Let us continue to live his legacy and to sustain those moments of inspired joyful conversation every morning at 6:00am on Morning Live (SABC 2).

To the Mbuli Family, Children, Friends and Associates: Please accept our heartfelt sympathy on the passing of a great son of Africa. Accept our sincere condolences. We will cherish the memories of the times with full understanding that life is eternal and love is immortal and death is only a horizon and is nothing save the limit of our sight.

May the Infinite Joy and Wisdom we shared continue to radiate Africa’s Greatness now and forever.

Draw from the strength from Mohammed Ali who has such faith and great strength and belief in his own actions that when he went into the ring he celebrated himself already as a winner!! What counts in the ring is what you can do after you are exhausted, the same is true of life. However run despite feeling discomfort, run even when faced with despair, say no to prejudice, o to failure, don’t lose sight of your goal, envision yourself as a winner. If you do, the will can never retire. The race can never stop and faith can never weaken. Do it against all odds and listen to your inner voice. Choose to follow your heart.