Honouring Ma G: celebrating a life of community activism in Mitchells Plain
The streets of Mitchells Plain feel emptier this week following the passing of Narriman Gadija Bazier Samuels, affectionately known as Ma G.
At 60 years old, Ma G was a tireless community activist, mother, grandmother, and a guiding light whose heart overflowed with love for everyone she met.
She passed away on Saturday, 1 November, after battling heart and chest problems, leaving behind four grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Her daughter, Zoureena Roberts, recalled the heartbreaking final moments.
“This was early Saturday morning when my daughter came to wake us up. Ma was struggling to breathe. When we got to her, she said she needed to go to hospital, something unlike her because she was always stubborn about going.
“As we were walking her towards the car, she started feeling heavy in my arms. I called for my daughter to bring something for Ma to sit on and then she just gave a deep breath and passed on, just like that.”
Ma G was known in the community as a staatmaker of note, a short lady with an iron will, unwavering strength, and a heart that embraced everyone she met. She refused to sit back when the truth needed to be fought for, walking the streets tall and proud, protecting her community for nearly two decades.
Her activism began with the Walking Bus Project, continued through her work with the Mitchells Plain Crisis Forum (MPCF), and included founding the Freedom Park Neighbourhood Watch.
By the time she passed, she was deeply involved in the Community In Blue initiative, leaving her mark across almost every sphere of local safety.
Even in the last months of her life, when Ma G was diagnosed with angina, her priorities remained clear.
“My mense het my nodig, (my people need me),” she would say. Despite struggling to walk and needing help with daily tasks, Ma G insisted on going out into the community.
“Her community was more important to her than her own health,” Roberts said.
Veranique Benji Williams, activist and member of the Faith and Hope Missing Persons Unit, who knew Ma G for about 25 years, said, “She was the deputy chairperson of the Mitchells Plain CRRU, and irrespective of me being the chair, she was like a motherly figure.
“She was a very good person, a people’s person. Talking about her, you see that smile, that smile always lit up a room, literally. No matter how down you were, she had the ability to speak life into you. She was a true community activist, a hero to her community. She was in every sphere of activism. This woman lived her life for her community up until the last.”
Ma G was also nominated in Liberty Promenade’s annual “Heroes Among Us” campaign, celebrating local changemakers.
Henry Arends, founder of the MPCF, said, “Her work testifies about what she did for the community. Up until her third day, after her death, we were giving out bread, and to me, bread symbolises life. She was still breathing life into the community even after her death. Her loss is like the community losing its voice for justice.”
Joanie Fredericks, Tafelsig activist, added, “I came to know Gadija during one of the most painful times in our province’s history, when child deaths across the Western Cape shook us to the core.
“She was fearless, compassionate, and always ready to serve. Even after I stepped away, she continued her activism relentlessly, often at great risk to her own health. Gadija was always that person anyone could call on for help, no matter the hour or the problem. Her courage, kindness, and legacy will live on in all those she touched. May your soul rest peacefully, Gadija. You are deeply missed.”
Hardien Booysen, who worked closely with Ma G, said, “Gadija was like a mother to all of us at MPCF. She would give us gray hairs in the courtroom with stolen photos of alleged suspects, but come rain or shine, she always put others first. Any organisation she worked with was blessed to have her.”
For me, as a journalist who met Ma G more than 10 years ago, one thing stands out: how she took all of us under her wings. In tense situations, she was always there. Whenever the media needed to be somewhere, she would chauffeur us.
She was a contact of note who later turned into family. When asked if she needed a lift home after attending court cases, she would say: “Daar is niks verkeerd met my bene nie, en besides, my werk is nog nie klaar nie,” explaining she had to help one person or another next, she would however not leave without giving a big hug…”be safe” she would say, before parting ways.
Her love for children was evident in life and death. At her janaza, Roberts was struck by the number of children who attended. “She even planned to make party packets for them with her next pension,” Roberts said. “On her seven days, we are going to hand out the party packets. It’s something I believe she told me for a reason.”
Short in stature but immense in spirit, Ma G leaves behind a legacy of courage, compassion, and community. She was a true iron woman whose life was a testament to putting others before oneself. Mitchells Plain, and everyone whose life she touched, will feel her absence deeply, but her memory, work, and love will continue to inspire for generations to come.
tracy-lynn.ruiters@inl.co.za