Masi… Foei… Monsi…Masiba
To the world, she was Manibhen Sita, but to her family, she was affectionately known as Masi, Foei, Monsi, and Masiba. This selfless and fearless woman believed in the rights and equality of every person, as well as upholding the principles of honesty and simplicity. She stayed true to these ideals her entire life, even going so far as to be jailed for her beliefs. Her sacrifices are a matter of public record and there is much already written about her public and political life.
Manibhen was a strong-willed and independent woman. Her influence rubbed off on all members of our family. We grew up in her example, confident to stand up for our own beliefs.
This is the legacy that we wish to share today.
She was a living history book and was eloquent in sharing her encounters of stirring up crowds to fight against injustice. At 19, she travelled by bus to join a group of women in Durban, who camped overnight on a plot set aside for ‘Whites Only’. They were fully prepared to be arrested, in order to raise international awareness of the unjust laws of the country. They displaced such courage and conviction at such a young age! We stand in awe.
In a further example of her character, one day she drove up to Madiba’s house and dropped off an unusual birthday gift for him. It was an old orange cushion. He was surprised to find inside secret documents sewn into the stuffing. These included her diary during the Rivonia Trial, which can be found today at the Nelson Mandela Foundation museum. He was certainly amused.
We fondly remember her taking us on outings to the zoo in the back of her bakkie. With tremendous patience, she taught us skills like knitting and sewing. We often enjoyed her flawless recitation of delightful poems, such as “The Daffodils”. She had an incredible memory and effortlessly remembered the birthdays of nieces and nephews, even at the age of 94. She was always ready to care for anyone in the family who was not well. Everyone was welcome in her home. She delighted in the accomplishments of anyone in the family, especially academic achievements.
Our dear Aunt was always giving. She often bought big baskets of vegetables and then distributed these to others. She was also always interested in how others were doing and never allowed anyone to leave empty-handed when visiting her.
Her cookery book, ‘Give Me Vegetables’, was another wonderful accomplishment. True to her charitable nature, she decided not to sell it at a profit and started giving copies away. The dedication reads, “To every cook in every kitchen of the world that keeps humanity alive by their silent and dedicated service.”
She loved books and learning. As children, we often found that visiting her was like going to the library. She was greatly influenced by the teachings of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa and Swami Vivekananda. She lived by higher values, always trying to motivate us to gain spiritual knowledge. Manibhen greatly admired and learnt from the works of Gandhi and Nehru. You could easily find classical literature and poetry on her shelves.
We have been greatly inspired by her self-discipline and commitment to healthy living, evident in regular fasts, raw food days, doing yoga and walking. Even after her hip operation in her eighties, the doctor had said she will never drive again and will always walk with a stick. She rebelliously and optimistically was soon driving and walking without a crutch. Further, she was undeterred from attending Madiba’s funeral in a wheelchair and was carried up the stairs by a strong young man and carried down the stairs again in her wheelchair by 2 soldiers. She had no fear of being ‘dropped’ and saw it all as a huge adventure.
She continued working hard to serve others, even as she grew old. In her seventies, she served the community as a councillor. One of her unusual duties involved attending cricket matches. She happily dedicated 8 hours of her time to watching matches, taking along her young nephew, even though she had no interest in cricket.
We love her dearly and will miss this kind, gentle, yet fiery and strong soul. Many of her nieces, nephews and grand-nieces and grand-nephews have followed her lead. In the family, her legacy remains ingrained in all we have learnt, achieved and practice, for which we are grateful. We hope that her legacy inspires more to follow in her footsteps. That would be the greatest tribute to her.
*On behalf of Manibhen Sita’s family, we would like to thank the Laudium community, as well as her friends and comrades from near and far, for the outpouring of their support. We also want to thank the staff and management involved in her care at the Laudium Retirement Home. Our appreciation also goes out to Aunty Vasugee Moodley, Alma Franke, Naeem Patel, Vivek Bhima and the Laudium Disaster Management Team for the help extended to her and to the Laudium Sun for publishing this tribute.
– by her nieces and nephews
