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Joe's Eulogy

I didn’t get a chance to go to school with Joe, because he was a few years younger than me. At the same time, I left Port Alfred to do my high school education in PE, and so we never really crossed paths during this time. I got to know him a little bit closer in the year 2000. By this time I had come back to Port Alfred after finishing my junior degree in PE. Indeed I spent the whole of 2000 in Port Alfred devoting most of my time to coaching football players. He was with Black Aces. In early 2001 I left Port Alfred for Cape Town at the insistence and invitation of the recently departed Mxolisi Payi. 

We reconnected with Joe again much later, possibly around 2007/8, this time in Johannesburg. Both of us had started our working careers. I must say when we met again, he was already well established, a married man with a house and car. We met mostly for soccer matches. I remember initially, I lived in the Pretoria CBD, and because I didn’t have a car, I learnt for the first time how to take a taxi from Pretoria central to the Joburg CBD. Anyone who has ever taken a taxi to the Joburg CBD for the 1st time will tell you that it is a scary prospect. But Joe knew Johannesburg very well, and so despite my fears, he would ensure that I navigate the mess that is the Joburg CBD with relative confidence. We would normally meet in Joburg CDB and then proceed to the stadium.

Our friendship grew. We then started travelling the long distance from Johannesburg to Port Alfred together. It is a very long journey. For a while, I didn’t have a car and could not drive, so he would drive the whole 11 hour journey while I sit and sometimes sleep on the passenger seat. Joe preferred driving during the night. In the early days of our travels, we would leave Johannesburg at night and then arrive in Port Alfred in the morning. One day, he was so tired, and it was not possible to proceed because he was sleepy. We decided to stop the car and we both took a nap. We used to laugh at this, because to this day, we don’t remember where we were. But when we woke up we were fresh and proceeded and arrived safely. Later, when I had my own car I changed the habit of driving at night, because I find it exhausting for such a long journey. I am also known for taking long breaks to have lunch and coffee on the road. That is enjoyable during the day. 

When in 2010 I brought my new car to Port Alfred we drove together. He did most of the driving. But when I finally parked the car at home something remarkable happened. My mother and family came to see the new car. When I tried to start it, it would not respond. Confused by the non-response of a brand new car, I then called Joe and told him my car doesn’t start. He didn’t give the answer on the phone, but when he finally arrived, he took the keys, opened the car, put the key into ignition, shook the steering wheel, and voila the car started! 

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