COMMUNITY hero and humanitarian, Captain Charles Govender died from Covid-19 complications. The 54-year-old passed away on Sunday, January 9. Friends, family and colleagues described him as a dedicated and compassionate police officer.
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“It is difficult to process his death as we are a very close-knit family. He lived for his family and family was everything to him. By the grace of God, we are managing. He had pneumonia and then tested positive for Covid-19, which became Covid-pneumonia.
“However, he died from complications of Covid-19. We have moments when we break down, but we are trying to stay strong,” said his loving wife, Linda Govender.
Govender was in hospital since late December and was placed on a ventilator for two days before he passed away.
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“He was a captain at Queensburgh Metro. I was amazed at what Metro did during the funeral service. They had a guard of honour and a police escort. The support from the members was incredible. Charles was proud to be a police officer and dedicated his life to helping others. He put his heart and soul into everything that he did and wore his uniform with pride,” she added.
When asked to describe his character, Linda said he had a vibrant personality and was outgoing and loving.
“The most important thing to him was carrying a good name. He served at Metro for more than 20 years and was a chef in the Navy prior. The Navy also did a tribute for him during the service.
“Charles and I loved travelling overseas and we had so many plans for the year. He lived and loved life. We thank everyone who has been there for us during this difficult time. Charles lived a very good life and had the best of everything. Our only intention was to give him the best send-off possible and, thanks to Metro, we could do that.”
He is survived by his loved ones and the Metro family.
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