AMANZIMTOTI stalwart and former traffic chief, Pat Smith died suddenly at home with the love of his life, his wife Carol and family close by on 4 September.
He was a respected resident of Toti, a man who naturally commanded respect and was admired for his strong presence and humorous character.
He was a die-hard Blue Bulls supporter and no matter what, would never change his allegiance.
Smith became the superintendent of the Amanzimtoti Traffic Department in 1969 and was promoted to traffic chief in 1985. Later in his career, he held the position of a Metro Police manager.
Pat had many friends around the country and was the leader of the team called ‘The Groove’ which met on most Thursday evenings to plan and strategise all their events.
He was an avid golfer and his greatest hobby was to arrange memorable traffic golf days and to raise money for charities when needed.
His favourite destination in the world was South Africa and his favourite place was the game parks, especially the Kalahari Gemsbok. He was well-known for his annual, prestigious traffic dance which was held in the town hall, where tickets were sold out in the first two days.
In 1999, he became an oupa to a grand-daughter who became the apple of his eye. Pat retired in March 2000, which gave him time to travel, but he quickly returned to be with his grand-daughter.
In 2005, Pat moved to Ballito to be closer to his children. He loved walking on the beach which was only 300m away and was always seen at the local haunt ‘Hops’ for a beer after his walk.
Past work colleagues paid tribute to Pat.
“A true, supportive friend who I held in high esteem, someone you could rely on and count on in life. I will always remember him by the name ‘Chief”. He will be sorely missed. I really tried to get Pat to see the light in all the time I knew him to support the Sharks and not the Blue Bulls, I was never successful in this and he remained a true Blue Bulls supporter to the end. He was a true Toti legend,” said George Lithgow.
Retired Metro Police manager, Terry Lang said: “A good friend liked by all, best public relations manager I ever knew.”
George Ross, retired Metro Police test centre manager also paid tribute to Pat. “A great boss, true friend and father to my family and an extremely great loss to the community. Pat was the most understanding traffic chief, especially to the children of our town. He would always listen to those who had broken the law. He instituted the washing of traffic vehicles and motorbikes for the minors who had infringed the law. When he moved away to Ballito we missed him, now that he has passed on, he will live on in our hearts forever. He will go down in history for his famous and memorable golf days and traffic dances.”
Toti crime fighter George Snodey said: “I worked under Pat Smith who was a fair and supportive boss. He would always back his staff, if they were in the right. He was a real team builder and he encouraged his team to socialise together after work to build comradeship. I will always remember it being difficult to beat him in a game of snooker. He was a man among men.”
Pat is survived by his wife Carol, children and grandchildren.
