WO Malan Botha, who worked at crime prevention, passed away in Krugersdorp Private Hospital on the morning of Thursday, 22 July.
According to a relative, Ms Tina Pienaar, Botha was in his second week in the hospital after being admitted with a severe lung infec- tion from Covid-19. He was particularly known for his professional service in unform and his friend- liness and kindness to colleagues and members of the public who needed help.
“He was the most wonderful, loving and caring person; a pillar of strength in our family too. He was always ready to help and even answered calls in the hospital during the night. He regularly went out of his way to help others,” says Pienaar.
He was 49 years old and served the community as a member of the SAPS for 31 years. He started his career in the police immediately after matric.
Botha’s memorial service will take place at the NG Church’s Oberholzer West congregation at 14:00 on Friday. Botha leaves behind his wife, Ýolande, daughter Bianca Crous, son-in-law Michael, his parents and a twin brother.
The week before, on Tuesday, 13 July, a colleague, Captain Crystal Visser (58), suddenly passed away in the MooiMed Hospital in Potchefstroom.
According to her daughter, Mrs Wena du Plessis, who is also the secretary of the Carletonville Community Policing Forum (CPF), her mother had had a knee replacement three weeks before. Although she recovered from the operation, she started feeling ill two days before her death. She was taken to Potch-efstroom MediClinic on 12 July, after which her condition deterio- rated rapidly. She was later transferred to MooiMed, where she passed away due to cardiac arrest from Covid-19-related sepsis.
Visser worked for the Carleton- ville police for 40 years and was the commander of the B-shift in the community service centre (CSC).
Du Plessis says her mother and Botha had worked together on the CSC A-shift for eight years. When her mother was transferred to the A-shift and Botha worked at crime prevention, they were still working together on the same shift until weeks before their passing.
“She was a very soft person who always advised everyone “to keep going on because things will get better”, says Du Plessis.
Visser’s memorial service was on Tuesday 20 July.
She leaves behind her daughter, son, Tjaart, son-in-law, grandson and granddaughter.
