On Thursday, 13 November 2025, family, friends, and the community of Greater Hammanskraal, along with the broader medical fraternity, gathered to bid a heartfelt farewell to Dr Segai Stanford Mojapelo, a visionary doctor, mentor, and humanitarian whose life of service transformed countless lives in the region.
Regarded as the pioneer of medicine in Temba and Greater Hammanskraal, Dr Mojapelo was cremated during a private ceremony at the Pretoria West Crematorium. Tributes flowed in from colleagues, patients, and community members, who remembered him as a pillar of hope and humanity, not merely a healer.
A special memorial service was held on Wednesday, 12 November 2025, at Ebenezer Church in Temba, organised by the South African Association of Retired Persons (SAART) to honour his illustrious life. After retiring from active medical practice in 2005 due to health challenges, Dr. Mojapelo remained actively involved in SAART, providing compassionate care and medical knowledge to the elderly community.
At the funeral service held at the United Reformed Church of South Africa (URCSA) in Majaneng village, attendees included family, community members, and dignitaries from across South Africa and beyond. Tributes described him as “a torchbearer of humanity,” “a scholar in spirit and a servant at heart,” and “a doctor who listened with both his stethoscope and his soul.” To his children and grandchildren, he was simply a devoted father, “the wind beneath their wings.”
Colleagues who worked with him for over 35 years hailed him as a pioneer who introduced innovative approaches to patient care, championed rural health access, and mentored a generation of doctors and nurses now serving nationally and internationally.
A Life of Dedication and Service
Born on 12 January 1938, Dr Mojapelo was the second son of Sepena John Mojapelo and Maphala Johanna Mojapelo (née Sefara). He was also a beloved brother to his late sisters, Idah Mmapula and Florah Mmamothitheloa Mojapelo.
From humble beginnings, Dr Mojapelo became one of the region’s most respected medical professionals. After completing his secondary education at Khaiso High School in Zone 3, Seshego, he attended the University of Natal (now University of KwaZulu-Natal) Medical School in Wentworth, Durban, where he earned his MBChB degree in 1970.
Established in 1951 to train Black students during apartheid, the Durban Medical School was a groundbreaking institution. Following the 1959 Extension of University Education Act, which enforced racial segregation in higher education, Wentworth, emerged as a principal training ground for Black doctors in South Africa. In this context, Dr Mojapelo’s pursuit of medicine represented an act of both courage and historical defiance.
His journey into medicine came at a time when such aspirations were often unimaginable for Africans in South Africa. Pioneer doctors, such as William Anderson Soga (1858–1916), the first Black African to earn an MBCM degree in 1883, often sought training abroad. Until the 1940s, opportunities were scarce, barriers to entry deeply entrenched, and resources limited. Wits University and the University of Cape Town would eventually be among the first to offer medical training to Africans in the 1940s, followed by the University of Natal in 1951.
For Dr Mojapelo and his peers, pursuing knowledge was an act of liberation—not for prestige, but to uplift their communities and affirm African excellence in science and medicine. By breaking through these barriers, he became a pioneering African physician and a trailblazer who inspired future generations of Black doctors.
A Doctor for the People
Following his internship at Natalspruit Hospital in Germiston, where he also served as a Medical Officer, Dr. Mojapelo relocated to Hammanskraal around 1971. There, he established a private medical practice in Temba and Stinkwater, motivated not by comfort or prestige but by the desire to serve those most in need.
His surgery, located at House 1076 next to his family home, became a symbol of accessibility and care. The white-painted building, known colloquially as ko di-ten, opposite the new Temba Police Station, evolved into a community landmark—a sanctuary for the sick and poor where no one was turned away.
From 1971 to 2005, he served the community with compassion, skill, ethics, and integrity.
In addition to his private practice, Dr. Mojapelo worked as a Medical Officer at the Babelegi Industrial Park Clinic, providing healthcare to factory workers during the industrial boom from 1970 to 1990. He also served as the designated doctor for the Hammanskraal Police Academy and Jubilee Hospital, originally founded in 1956 by Swiss Baptist missionary doctors.
A Legacy Beyond Medicine
Dr. Mojapelo was not only a physician but also a community builder. He invested in local schools, youth programs, and sports initiatives, always believing that “the next cure might come from our own village.”
He served on the boards of PHL Moraka High School and the Old Temba Clinic and was an active member of the National Black Discussion Group under the late Dr Nthato Harrison Motlana (1925–2008). In collaboration with the Roman Catholic Church, he helped establish a mobile clinic in Winterveldt.
As a founding member of Sechaba Holdings, he contributed to the establishment of Lesedi Clinic—the first private clinic in Soweto—and Sizwe Medical Aid, South Africa’s first Black-owned medical aid scheme.
Dr Mojapelo was also a man of diverse passions—an avid reader, a lover of jazz and classic gospel music, a chess enthusiast, and a person of deep faith and intellect who cherished his family and community.
A Family Man, Loved by His People
Dr. Segai Stanford Mojapelo passed away on Thursday, 6 November 2025. He is survived by his wife of 55 years of marriage, Julia Lifutso Mojapelo, and their three children: Sepena, Maphala, and Khalane. He is fondly remembered by his grandchildren—Goitse, Oratile, Masego, Aobakwe Maphala, and Tumelo Segai—and by the many lives he touched with his kindness, mentorship, and generosity of spirit.
As the sun set over Greater Hammanskraal and the communities that shaped his remarkable journey, the community expressed gratitude for a life marked by compassion, excellence, and selfless service to humanity.
Dr. Mojapelo’s legacy lives on in every heart he healed and every mind he inspired.
“The LORD your God is in your midst,
He is a Warrior who can deliver;
He takes great delight in you,
He renews you by His Love,
He shouts for joy over you.”
— Zephaniah 3:17