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- Loved ones of Eusebius McKaiser paid tribute to him at his memorial service in Johannesburg on Tuesday.
- Friends and colleagues recalled his work as a social activist, remembering how he fought against oppression.
- McKaiser was described as being "deeply committed to truth-seeking".
"He gave [a] voice to millions."
This is how loved ones recalled Eusebius McKaiser at his memorial service in Johannesburg on Tuesday.
The recollections of several speakers were interspersed with audio clips from his time as a broadcast journalist, with many of them provoking bittersweet laughter from his loved ones.
McKaiser died last month after a suspected epileptic seizure at the age of 45.
Former colleague and business coach Dawn Klatzko said McKaiser would be remembered for his work as a "challenger" who had not hesitated to speak for those without a voice.
READ | TRIBUTE: 'An irreplaceable friend and wise advisor': Mourning the sudden loss of Eusebius McKaiser
"If the cause, action, or statement warranted challenge, he was first to take it on. And he would take it on with the panache and skill of the master debate champion that he was," said Klatzko.
"He gave voice to millions of people who weren't able to utter the first syllable but knew that he could do it for them."
McKaiser was born in Makhanda in the Eastern Cape on 28 March 1978.
He began his studies at Rhodes University in 1997 and was later awarded a scholarship to Oxford University in the UK.
On his return to South Africa, McKaiser became an accomplished journalist, political commentator, and social activist.
News24 journalist and former university classmate Karyn Maughan paid a tearful tribute to McKaiser, describing him as "one of the most intense, brilliant, talented, kind and alive people" she had ever known.
"Eusebius was, at his heart, one of the greatest teachers that this country has ever known.
"Eusebius demanded excellence from himself and from the people blessed enough to have engaged with him in the spaces he occupied.
"He was not selfish in his intellect; he was not selfish in his success."
Maughan said McKaiser had refused to be "apathetic about injustice".
His university debating partner and friend, Nick Ferreira, added McKaiser was "deeply committed to truth-seeking".
He said McKaiser had also "normalised black success for a whole generation".
Former Business Day colleague and friend Vukani Mde added McKaiser's loved ones had been left with a "deep, deep wound" after his death.
"I am hurting, and probably always will be," he said.
READ | 'An intellectual machine': Loved ones honour Eusebius McKaiser at memorial service
Mde recalled meeting McKaiser when he joined the Business Day team.
"He walked into the newsroom with an Afro, a bit chubby, straight out of Oxford. He was a bit cocky, a bit too clever for his own good," he said.
But he soon won over his colleagues, forming friendships that would last decades.
Journalist, friend, and colleague Redi Tlhabi said McKaiser "loved loudly and emphatically".
She added:
"The reason some of us feel that way is because we recognise that even as some found his opinions intolerable or described him as arrogant … his detractors recognised his genius and knew he was a necessary force in our society," she added.
Tlhabi took a moment to dispel rumours McKaiser's death had been linked to vaccination, pointing out he had been diagnosed with epilepsy several years ago.
McKaiser was known for his programme on 702 where he established himself as a respected analyst and political commentator.
.@RediTlhabi says @Eusebius was diagnosed with epilepsy in 2008 and endured multiple hospitalisations, as a result of his condition, that he didn’t publicly shareShe doesn’t want to “feed trolls”, but it’s NB to counter false claims his death was caused by the Covid-19 vaccine.
— Karyn Maughan (@karynmaughan) June 6, 2023
He is survived by his partner, Nduduzo Nyanda, father Donald McKaiser, stepmother Valencia McKaiser, brother Aden, and sisters Geniva and Marilyn as well as the broader McKaiser and Stevens families.
His family requested that those who attended the memorial service bring books, instead of flowers, to be donated to a charity of his family's choosing.
Nyanda said he would miss the couple's Sunday night ritual of watching series and eating dessert, along with McKaiser's "cheesy music".
"What I will miss is knowing I had somebody who loved fully, who gave of himself fully. I'll miss walking in from work and not seeing him on that couch on his phone. I'll miss his voice notes; I'll miss him walking around the house recording voice for someone else. I'll miss that 'Hello, babe'."
