Cape Town – Described as a humble man with a kind and loving heart, final respects were paid to firefighter Makosandile Mbhokhwe, who succumbed to Covid-19 last week.
Firefighters at eight stations formed a guard of honour for the divisional commander, who worked at the Fire and Rescue Service Training Academy in Epping.
Mbhokhwe’s colleague, Clinton Manuel, remembered him as a “terrific person” who would be sorely missed.
“He was a humble and very kind person who was very fair towards everyone, treating everyone with respect. He was well loved, well liked, and would go out of his way to help somebody who needed it. When he joined the fire service in 1995, I was very privileged to then be his officer and since then already I could see he was destined for higher positions. One could clearly see wherever he travelled, he acquired knowledge and interpersonal skills. I remember whenever somebody visited him, it didn’t matter who, if they visited him at the office he would walk them out to their car and stand there and wave them goodbye. He was a true gentleman,” said Manuel.
Safety and Security mayco member JP Smith said Mbokhwe’s receiving
the accolade of Officer of the Year in 2018 was a testament to his calibre of work.
“This is the first staff member who the service has lost to Covid-19. We hope the department will be spared any further loss of life. Normally we tend to express acknowledgement for a person posthumously. In this case, we were able to honour him with the award while he was still with us."