Former social development director-general and rugby administrator Lungile Isaiah Lindi, 76, died last weekend.
Oom Lindi, as he was affectionately known, died following a long battle with diabetes. He succumbed last Saturday following a mild stroke.
He started working as a court interpreter in 1962 and worked his way up to the top DG position. He had matriculated from Healdtown. He served as a junior official within the Justice Department in Hankey, Cradock, Paarl and Kokstad.
But he studied part-time and was appointed deputy superintendent at the Bekruikop reformatory school known as Tyip-tyip in 1969, before he was appointed social development DG in 1982. Later he was transferred to the department of internal affairs as a deputy director-general. That was before being headhunted and transferred once again to become DG of the then department of manpower utilisation, a position he held until he retired in February 1996.
In his playing days, Lindi was eighthman for Swallows Football Club in Zwelitsha.
Oom Lindi caught the eye of rugby selectors while playing under Zwelitsha African Rugby Union and was appointed to officiate matches.
His daughter, Thembi Lindi-Ncume said when her father retired as a player, “his passion for rugby did not subside as he served as a chairman of the referees committee of Zaru, and the entire King William’s Town”.
“Under his leadership, due to his honesty, commitment and integrity the standard of rugby in Zwelitsha improved vastly,” she said.
A highlight in Oom Lindi’s career as a rugby administrator was in 1980 when he made history by being the first black person to officiate as a referee in a Pienaar Cup rugby match between the then Transvaal and Northern Transvaal.
Lindi-Ncume described her father “as a true gentleman, a selfless man, and a great family man”.
“One of his favourite phrases was masihloniphane [translated: let’s be respectful]. Tata stood tall, had broad shoulders and a gentle heart, a man of few words. Most were intimidated by him but in a few minutes spent with him you realise he is a gentle soul. There are not enough words to describe what my father means to us and what an influence he will always have in our lives,” said Lindi-Ncume.
Oom Lindi is survived by his wife Baba, daughter Lindi-Ncume and three sons, Andile, Kwanele and Ndumiso.
His funeral service will be at the St Johns and St Chads Anglican Church in Zone 4 Zwelitsha on Friday.
Popular rugby man stood tall in a life lived by values
Image: Supplied
Former social development director-general and rugby administrator Lungile Isaiah Lindi, 76, died last weekend.
Oom Lindi, as he was affectionately known, died following a long battle with diabetes. He succumbed last Saturday following a mild stroke.
He started working as a court interpreter in 1962 and worked his way up to the top DG position. He had matriculated from Healdtown. He served as a junior official within the Justice Department in Hankey, Cradock, Paarl and Kokstad.
But he studied part-time and was appointed deputy superintendent at the Bekruikop reformatory school known as Tyip-tyip in 1969, before he was appointed social development DG in 1982. Later he was transferred to the department of internal affairs as a deputy director-general. That was before being headhunted and transferred once again to become DG of the then department of manpower utilisation, a position he held until he retired in February 1996.
In his playing days, Lindi was eighthman for Swallows Football Club in Zwelitsha.
Oom Lindi caught the eye of rugby selectors while playing under Zwelitsha African Rugby Union and was appointed to officiate matches.
His daughter, Thembi Lindi-Ncume said when her father retired as a player, “his passion for rugby did not subside as he served as a chairman of the referees committee of Zaru, and the entire King William’s Town”.
“Under his leadership, due to his honesty, commitment and integrity the standard of rugby in Zwelitsha improved vastly,” she said.
A highlight in Oom Lindi’s career as a rugby administrator was in 1980 when he made history by being the first black person to officiate as a referee in a Pienaar Cup rugby match between the then Transvaal and Northern Transvaal.
Lindi-Ncume described her father “as a true gentleman, a selfless man, and a great family man”.
“One of his favourite phrases was masihloniphane [translated: let’s be respectful]. Tata stood tall, had broad shoulders and a gentle heart, a man of few words. Most were intimidated by him but in a few minutes spent with him you realise he is a gentle soul. There are not enough words to describe what my father means to us and what an influence he will always have in our lives,” said Lindi-Ncume.
Oom Lindi is survived by his wife Baba, daughter Lindi-Ncume and three sons, Andile, Kwanele and Ndumiso.
His funeral service will be at the St Johns and St Chads Anglican Church in Zone 4 Zwelitsha on Friday.
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