Municipal worker succumbs to virus
THE Oudtshoorn Municipality has recorded its first Covid-19-related death among staff after its head of legal services, Pumzo Tofile, died at the weekend.
Tofile, 55, who had worked for the municipality for eight years, died on Saturday at the Vincent Pallotti Hospital.
Messages of condolence from colleagues and councillors have been pouring in since news of the municipal worker’s passing.
The municipality’s acting manager, Reginald Smit, described him as a soft-spoken man who performed his work with a high level of professionalism and diligence.
“You could feel his presence through the way he interacted with his colleagues, he was never out of line with his behaviour.
“We will miss him as a colleague and friend. Tofile became ill in Cape Town when he returned home for the last time during the level 4 period.
“I spoke to him a few times during the time that he was ill. The last few days I interacted with his wife who updated us on his condition. We hoped and prayed for his recovery,” said Smit.
Oudtshoorn acting mayor Noluthando Mwati said it was a big loss for the municipality as Tofile was not afraid of being challenged.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of a person of his calibre. Since I met him in 2016, Tofile displayed characteristics of diligence, obedience and friendliness.
“He could absorb any pressure with ease, despite all the challenges he had to face in his demanding position of being a legal adviser for the council,” she said.
The municipality will organise a guard of honour as part of a sendoff for Tofile as the body will pass from Cape Town through the Garden Route to his hometown in the Eastern Cape.
Tofile leaves behind his widow Gcotyiswa Tofile and his two children, aged 10 years and 23 months.