Mama Ruth Ntombizodwa Bomvana was born on 17 July 1922 in the village of Bensonvale (Esihlabini,) in the Eastern Cape, to Ntate Jacob Mokhosi and Mme Edith Makhaba. Mama was the sixth of eight children and moved to Durban at the age of 12 where she was partly raised by her older sister, Paulina Mota.
She started her Primary Education at the Bensonvale Primary School, proceeded to the Taylor Street Government School in Durban and finally to Mooki Memorial School (which later became Orlando High School,) where she completed her Junior Certificate in 1938.
At the tender age of 16 years, she started her training as a nurse at the old Johannesburg General Hospital and thereafter proceeded with her training in midwifery at Bridgeman Memorial Hospital, which she completed in 1947. During this period, in 1946, Mama Ruth would meet her future husband, Tata Alfred Bomvana, through a mutual friend who happened to be Tata’s colleague and Mama’s homeboy from Bensonvale. They courted from 1946 and were subsequently married in December 1947. They were blessed with 4 children – Thami (late),Vuyelwa, Ncebi and Nono.
From 1948, Mama worked as a general nurse at Johannesburg General Hospital, until being moved to the ‘Non-European’ Baragwanath Hospital, which was formerly a military hospital. In October of the same year, she became the first black nursing tutor after the establishment of the nursing college at Baragwanath. In this role, she was responsible for the training of nurses who came from all over the country. To sharpen her skills as a nursing educator, she pursued and obtained a Diploma in Nursing Education. She held her teaching role until 1976, when she was appointed as a matron at Baragwanath Hospital.
In her role as matron, Mama was instrumental in establishing Primary Health Care provision at various district clinics. Following the dislocations caused by June 16 student uprisings in 1976, she, along with other dedicated nurses and doctors, worked tirelessly to re-establish services in the Soweto Health Facilities. In addition, she and a colleague introduced dental services to some clinics in Soweto, with Orlando Clinic being the first.
Mama’s dedication and work ethic translated to other community activities. Her community work included her involvement in the establishment of the Jabavu Home for the Aged and the Orlando Children’s Home in 1977.
Upon retiring in 1983, Mama became one of the founding members of the Soweto Retired Professional Society (SRPS). Even in retirement, she passionately served on the Parents Teacher Association of St John Berchman’s Catholic School in Orlando East, became a leading member of Operation Hunger in Soweto, when it was formed to
tackle fundraising efforts to feed the hungry in 1984. In 2004, she helped found the Footprints Hospice in Orlando East.
Mama was also a long-standing and esteemed member of the Christ the King Catholic Church in Orlando East.
In her long, rich and bountiful life, Mama Ruth was a fierce matriarch, touched many lives, loved many people and was, as a result, loved and respected by many. She was honoured by various bodies, including the Catholic Church, which awarded her the Bene Merenti medal.
She is survived by the larger Bomvana and Mokhosi family, Her three daughters, a daughter-in-law,13 grandchildren,22 great-grandchildren and 2 great-great grandchildren.
