Suna’s life celebrated at last farewell
“LET’S get this party started.”
That is how the family of SABC journalist Suna Venter, 32, and her 13 cousins knew her.
She loved to have fun with family‚ singing songs with her mother in the kitchen‚ using “questionable dance moves” on the dance floor‚ always winning Scrabble games and doing multiple accents to make people laugh.
Her enthusiasm‚ zest for life and fantastic sense of humour were frequently mentioned during her funeral at the NG Kerk in Fairlands yesterday.
Venter had cardiomyopathy‚ a disease of the heart muscle‚ for the past few years and was found dead in her flat on Thursday last week.
Her family said they believed the stress of death threats and harassment that she received for standing up for SABC independence had exacerbated her illness.
None of the controversy of her being fired from the SABC for ignoring a ban on broadcasting protests and then being reinstated by the Labour Court was mentioned at the funeral.
Instead, memories were shared and her life was celebrated.
Her family‚ some of her cousins‚ her boss Foete Krige and Gift of the Givers founder Imtiaaz Sooliman spoke about her love for life, her passion and “lief van gesels [love of conversing with people]”.
A cousin spoke of how, on a weekend away with her extended family last year‚ they went on a hike, even though Suna had forgotten to pack walking shoes.
Someone asked her if she would manage the hike in her flip-flops but made the mistake of addressing her as “Poplap”.
Nobody called Venter “Poplap”‚ the speaker said.
Just to prove a point‚ she walked to the top of the mountain barefoot.
Her brother‚ Wilhelm, spoke of how he insisted on watching Suna’s first time on SABC TV news in a pub a few years ago.
“I got so close to a fist fight when I demanded that we switch to SABC in the middle of a soccer match in a pub in her first broadcast,” he said.
“We all watched the news that night, to live cheers from complete strangers.”
Her brother ended his tribute saying to his late sister: “I wish the following things for you – that there is chocolate mousse and cheesecake in heaven‚ that you know how much we loved you, that you realise how proud we were of you‚ not only for what you did but for who you were.”
Her father‚ Dr Phillip Venter‚ said in the past few days the family had cried as much as they had laughed remembering their daughter and sister.
“She was a special‚ special child because she was so enthusiastic‚ so full of life‚ so full of zest and so driven by causes,” he said.
“She was the soul of the party, she was the one who kept all of us to together with her sense of humour.” Her sister, Tess, remembered their adventure in Jordan in 2009‚ when Suna was on her way to Syria for the first time.
They used an old, beat-up car and negotiated potholes on the road on their way to visit Petra in Jordan.
Suna had been excited about an automatic bakery they discovered in Jordan‚ and this led to them buying much more food than they could ever eat.
“They were days of miracles and wonders‚” Tess said.
“Her creativity‚ her love for words‚ her intellect and her empathy made her a world-class journalist and I wish with all my heart she could have had the chance to have a long‚ rich career doing what she loved and had so much passion for.”
Sooliman‚ who took Venter to Gaza with Gift of the Givers‚ paid tribute to her passion for people in need and refugee children.
When she was stopped by her manager at the SABC from going with Gift of the Givers to Syria in 2013 because it was believed the war‚ bombs and missiles would stress her out and exacerbate her heart condition, she took annual leave and went by herself a few months later, at her own expense.
Sooliman said she was a journalist who did not just care for the facts of where the bombs fell and how many were injured‚ but cared for the people.
She wanted to understand why things were the way they were.
Krige said that since her death‚ Venter had been described as heroic‚ determined‚ principled and brave and passionate in the media.
But he said the words forgotten were compassionate and loving.