Manaka Ranaka’s emotional tribute to Katlego!

GENERATIONS: THE LEGACY actress Manaka Ranaka didn’t want to overshadow her daughter.

Manaka said she tried not to use her fame to overshadow her daughter because she wanted her to shine.

Katlego (24) died on Thursday, 23 January, and her mum shared this during her memorial service, held at the San Salvador Catholic Church in Leondale, Ekurhuleni on Thursday, 30 January.

“The way my job has come between me being an extremely supportive mum to my daughter, I decided that I didn’t want my fame to overshadow who she can be. So, in most things, like Ekurhuleni Agricultural College, I would let her go shine on her own. Half the time, I would let her go and shine on her own. As painful as it was for me as a mum, I’m glad I did that.

“Had I not done that, you wouldn’t have given her a chance. You would’ve given someone else a chance. So, she had to go and shine on her own. Like I said, as sad as it was, I had to do it because today people speak of Katlego as Kat, KGC and Kitty – her name. Not as Lerato’s (her character in Stokvel) child or Lucy’s (her character in Generations: The Legacy) child. Or even the Ranakas’ child,” she said.

Manaka said Katlego took some of her traits. “With that said, I should be strong for everyone. Katlego inherited that from me. We put everybody ahead of us. We don’t know why or how, but we did things last for ourselves. We would eat last, or we’d laugh at the end.

“Thank you for seeing my child as Katlego. I love the stories I’m hearing about her,” she said.

Katlego was studying animal production at the Ekurhuleni Agricultural College.

“Her love of animals is what made me lead her to studying agriculture. I’ve always had a dream to have a farm, and she loved animals. If she’d passed really well in matric, she would’ve studied to be a veterinarian.

“So, we sat, and we thought maybe to get through there, she should study agriculture and care for animals. That would keep her closer to her dreams. But you know what? We all have our own dreams and God has a plan,” Manaka said.