MASONWABE TSHAMBU

● Cape Town International Airport security guard Masonwabe Tshambu, 43, who died of Covid-19 complications last month, had big dreams.

His close friend and colleague, Mzwandile Moni, said being unable to attend Tshambu’s funeral last weekend shattered him more than his death.

The two worked together for 13 years, and years ago Tshambu asked him to one day speak at his funeral.

“He once said to me: ‘If you die before me, I will talk about you at your funeral. And if I die before you, please go to my home in Butterworth and talk about me.’ I shared that conversation with his wife this week and we both cried,” Moni said.

“He spoke a lot about holiday destinations that he wanted to visit. He also wanted to climb the corporate ladder and be in an influential position one day.

“He was a family man first and foremost and he loved his sisters and he loved his mom. He was taking care of his mom because his father died.”

Moni doesn’t know how Tshambu contracted the virus.

“He visited my house three days before he was admitted to hospital but I was not home.

“I last spoke to him on the phone in hospi tal on April 10, but he wasn’t himself at all. I received a WhatsApp message the following day which said: ‘No more phone calls.’ I thought the worst. We didn’t communicate again. I then heard 11 days later that he’d passed away.”

He said Tshambu’s wife, Vuyokazi, was not coping with her loss.

“I am worried about her and her children [aged 17 and 3]. This disease has wreaked havoc in that family.”