Left his mark as deeply committed
SA British national who was killed in Nairobi terror attack was helping some of world’s most vulnerable people
SOUTH Africans far and wide paid tribute to Luke Potter, 40, the South African British national killed in this week’s Nairobi terror attack, but our government has barely acknowledged his existence – even though he was a local boytjie committed to the less fortunate.
“Luke Potter might have held a British passport but he was always a South African at heart,” tweeted his old university friend Gareth van Onselen, head of politics and governance at the Institute for Race Relations. “The most generous, compassionate and gregarious kind of person you could ever hope to meet. The kind of person you wish every person was like.”
By contrast, the South African Department of International Relations referred inquiries to the British Foreign Office. “Confirmation was received about the dual national; the British Embassy is handling the matter,” said spokesperson Ndivhuwo Mabaya.
Yesterday, in response to the information that Potter was South African-born and bred with a social conscience, Mabaya added: “We extended our condolences to his family.”
Meanwhile, tributes posted on social media revealed the substance of the 2008 Wits University MBA graduate who was working out of Nairobi as programme director at London-based Gatsby Charitable Foundation.
“A truly good person who generously lent his hand to Africa,” tweeted family friend John Brand, a leading mediation attorney from Johannesburg. “My deep condolences to his parents, Meave and Charles, and to his sister, brother, daughter and all his other family and friends. The dreadful evil of terrorism is driven home when it strikes family or friends…
“He was a gentle soul… he was South African-born and bred. He loved doing uplifting work for the poor communities. Africa was his calling. He loved working in Africa and had a love and passion for working with people in Africa.”
Brand also reposted a Potter quote that provided more insight of his character. “I strongly believe in the need for societies to offer as equal an opportunity as possible to all, and that, while economic competitiveness is essential to build a country, long-term stability is not achievable unless the gains are widely spread.” Luke Potter RIP.
Brand said his son grew up with Potter who was “in and out of our house, so we knew him well. His mother and father are also good friends of ours. Luke was close to our hearts for a whole lot of reasons. He was a really fine guy. My son, who is Luke’s age, is really broken up about it.”
Later Brand tweeted again: “Al-shabaab terrorists in Nairobi proudly slaughter an innocent and highly respected South African, who was dedicated to assisting the poor and marginalised in Africa, and so far, not a word of condemnation from government – strange or to be expected?”
Potter is the eldest of three children of Meave and former Wits University associate professor Charles Potter, who practises as an educational psychologist in Craighall Park.
Potter leaves a 10-year-old daughter in South Africa and was engaged to a foreign national living in Nairobi. His family did not want to release her name or nationality.
Following a short stint as a Unilever brand manager, he worked as a consultant for the KZN Health Economic and HIV/AIDS Research Division on the Amajuba Child Health & Well-being Research Project. According to Linkedin, Potter was contracted to facilitate development and implementation of an integrated child welfare management plan for the Amajuba district.
In October 2012, he joined Technoserve, first as regional programme manager for East Africa and then as country director in Zimbabwe and Zambia. Technoserve is part of a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation-funded dairy consortium which aimed to double the household milk income of 179 000 smallholder farmers.
Potter also left his mark at the Gatsby Charitable Foundation. “We are all shocked and saddened by the news that Luke Potter was killed in the violent attack in Nairobi,” said Professor Nick Talbot, executive director at The Sainsbury Laboratory, one of the Gatsby family of charities.
“These charities all have, at their heart, a commitment to try to make the world a better place. Luke Potter was deeply committed to development in Africa. He oversaw Gatsby’s forestry and tea portfolio, including its forestry programmes in Tanzania and Kenya, and tea programmes in Tanzania and Rwanda. This work is improving the lives of people in these countries, providing opportunity and hope for the future.
“Luke’s work was helping some of the most vulnerable people, living in low-income countries… This will be his legacy. We deplore the senselessness of his death and the violence and extremism that led to these events.”
Speaking for Potter’s family who are “in a total state of shock”, his maternal uncle Doug Band said: “Luke was a loving father, son and partner and a friend to so many. We are all devastated at his tragic untimely death and wish to cope with our grief in a private manner at this most difficult time.”