In a week where there was one big death, there was another that did not get a trillionth of the attention but was big for us. Mavis Mogotsi, grandmother to Charlie Tankie Mogotsi and mother to Christine Mogotsi, was a fiesty individual, full of garrulous warmth and quick to share her opinions based on broad, old-fashioned values. Inside her small, sinewy frame was an even tougher rod of steel.
In the book Charlie’s House she plays a small role but in the real lives of Christine and Charlie she was huge. She will be sorely missed by them.
Hamba Kahle, Mama.
This photograph was taken in 2011 when we visited the family in their new home in Kimberley.