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MAMA BEAUTY XOLISWA NTENGO
26 May 1955 – 8 June 2026
Message from Mrs. Therina Wentzel-Du Toit, National Director, and the National Council of and for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD)
To the Programme Director,
The Ntengo Family,
Traditional and Community Leaders,
OR Tambo and the entire Eastern Cape Community,
Friends, Colleagues, and Members of the Disability Sector at large.
As the family of the National Council of and for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD), we convey our deepest condolences to the Ntengo family and everyone gathered here today to celebrate the life of Mama Beauty Xoliswa Ntengo.
It pains us deeply that, due to unavoidable circumstances, we are unable to be with you in person today.
However, although we may be absent physically, our hearts are with you. We mourn alongside you, we honour Mama Beauty alongside you, and we celebrate a life that touched and transformed so many others.
We have known Mama Beauty for many years, and throughout that time she became more than a partner in the disability movement. She became part of the NCPD family.
Mama Beauty was a woman of extraordinary compassion and unwavering commitment. She was caring, selfless and deeply devoted to serving others. Her greatest joy was helping people, particularly children, women and persons with disabilities at large.
For countless families across OR Tambo and beyond, APD OR Tambo is not simply an office. It is now a place of hope because Mama Beauty was there. Parents came seeking advice, comfort and assistance, knowing they would be welcomed with kindness and understanding.
Her work in advancing the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities speaks for itself. She dedicated her life to ensuring that those who are often overlooked were seen, heard and supported.
Even when resources were limited and the needs were overwhelming, Mama Beauty never gave up. She refused to allow financial constraints to stand in the way of helping another person. She gave her time, her energy and often her own personal resources to ensure that APD OR Tambo remained a place where
people could find help and hope.
But Mama Beauty’s greatest legacy extends beyond her own work.
She instilled the values of compassion and service in her own children and grandchildren, encouraging them to volunteer their time and talents to support APD and the disability community. She taught by example that true leadership is measured by service to others.
We will forever remember her cheerful smile, her warm spirit, her unwavering dedication and those gentle but persistent reminders whenever something needed to be done. She held all of us accountable because she genuinely cared about the lives of persons with disabilities.
Today, the disability sector has not only lost one of its leaders.
We have lost a community builder.
We have lost a passionate advocate.
We have lost a trusted partner.
We have lost a friend.
We have lost a mentor and guide
And many of us have lost a mother figure.
Yet her legacy lives on.
It lives on in every child she fought for.
It lives on in every family she comforted.
It lives on in every life she changed through her kindness, determination and unwavering belief in human dignity.
To all those who knew Mama Beauty and supported APD OR Tambo through its fundraising initiatives, whether by purchasing beadwork, Casual Day stickers, caps, T-shirts or simply by standing alongside the organization, we encourage you to continue supporting the work she loved so dearly. By doing so, you will
help ensure that her vision and mission continue for generations to come.
The National Council of and for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD) commits itself to preserving Mama Beauty’s legacy and continuing the work to which she dedicated her life. Her advocacy for persons with disabilities will forever be embraced by us and kept alive.
To the Ntengo family, thank you for sharing your mother with all of us. She belonged not only to you but to an entire movement that is better because she was part of it.
May you find comfort in knowing that her life mattered, her work mattered, and her legacy will continue to inspire us all.
Rest in eternal peace, Mama Beauty.
Your work here is done, but your impact will never fade.
Hamba kukahle! Phumla Ngoxolo, Mama Beauty!