Rest in peace Johann, you will not only be remembered, you will be avenged

You might remember him from his days when he presented the popular 50/50 programme on television every Sunday. Others know him for the rock ‘n roll radio show ‘Tempo’ he hosted on RSG on Monday nights. More recently he was a segment producer for top of the pops probers Carte Blanche. Johann was one of a kind and was chasing two very hot leads when he was shot.

He was not only a world class reporter/producer, he was also a true conservationist who had always put his own best interests second to that of the cause he was fighting for, and there were many such causes over the years. The mining industry in particular knew who he was. It would be fair to say that through his actions he delayed or often even stopped the opening of many a mine, costing many men millions of rands along the way. He fought for survival of rhino, elephant and every other living creature long before it became popular to do so. He was Mother Nature’s right-hand man.

While speculation with regards to his death is rife, there is one certainty that should not be forgotten. That is the fact that the people he considered friends will not rest until the truth is known. I know that he had more than a few friends who have also shaken hands with the underbelly of society and if there is more to his death than what has thus far made the headlines, mark my words, it will be uncovered and the guilty parties will be punished – severely.

Nature, after all, has a way of ensuring balance is maintained. Less than a year ago I was also fortunate enough to shake hands with this legend. It was such a pleasure meeting the voice on the radio who had more than a decade ago made so many Monday evenings at the Heraut offices tolerable. Two weeks before he was murdered we met again at the Troyeville Hotel where Die Wasgoedlyn was playing a gig. I needed his help to deal with mine applications that are popping up like mushrooms in this newspaper’s distribution area.

He gave me a few valuable pointers and told me to never give up, even if I’m told the battle has been lost. We spoke just days before he was shot. At the hotel he insisted that we drink a toast on a mythical creature – a goddess who lives just metres away from the old Whaling Station at Betty’s Bay where penguins are being subjected to sickening levels of cruelty so that man can make more money. We raised our glasses to a woman who at one stage featured prominently in our lives. We celebrated her and the unconditional love she has for all plants and animals. We agreed that she was one of a kind and today I’m worried about her.

A criminal took away her twin flame, her soulmate, her soundboard and the one human she trusted. Johann was perhaps the only person who really understood how her heart works. My thoughts and prayers are with her each and every day.

Johann Botha and Afrikaans rapper Churchil Naude met in Betty’s Bay during 2016 when he was there to do a documentary for Carte Blanche on the effects a new fence was having on the future of the African Penguin. Botha was shot and killed in a Johannesburg bar on June 7.