He served two terms as mayor and also become the first speaker of the municipality, chair of the provincial mayors' forum and deputy of the KwaZulu-Natal Local Government Association.
Dwayne described his father as selfless and principled in his resolve in dealing with issues.
“We were close. My father was a man of his word. He stood for his people and the ANC which he loved dearly.”
He recounted how the violence which engulfed Richmond proved to be devastating for the people and his family.
“During that time things were traumatic for us to such an extent that we were under police protection. One of my siblings would also attend school under the protection of bodyguards,” said Dwayne.
The ANC’s Moses Mabhida regional secretary Samorah Ndlovu paid tribute to Ragavaloo for transforming Richmond.
“He was a great asset to the ANC. He will be missed,” said Ndlovu.
Ragavaloo leaves his wife, two children and seven grandchildren.
TimesLIVE
Veteran KZN mayor Andrew Ragavaloo dies
Veteran KwaZulu-Natal Midlands politician Andrew Ragavaloo died on Thursday.
Ragavaloo, 72, died at the Midlands Medical Centre in Pietermaritzburg.
His son Dwayne said the family was struggling to come to terms with their loss, though he had been unwell since he suffered a stroke in July last year.
“Last week he fell ill again and the medical team told us he had pneumonia,” said Dwayne.
In 1996, Ragavaloo rose to prominence when he became mayor of Richmond local municipality, which was often marred by political instability.
He served two terms as mayor and also become the first speaker of the municipality, chair of the provincial mayors' forum and deputy of the KwaZulu-Natal Local Government Association.
Dwayne described his father as selfless and principled in his resolve in dealing with issues.
“We were close. My father was a man of his word. He stood for his people and the ANC which he loved dearly.”
He recounted how the violence which engulfed Richmond proved to be devastating for the people and his family.
“During that time things were traumatic for us to such an extent that we were under police protection. One of my siblings would also attend school under the protection of bodyguards,” said Dwayne.
The ANC’s Moses Mabhida regional secretary Samorah Ndlovu paid tribute to Ragavaloo for transforming Richmond.
“He was a great asset to the ANC. He will be missed,” said Ndlovu.
Ragavaloo leaves his wife, two children and seven grandchildren.
TimesLIVE
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