For many of us at Robson Savage our first contact with Phakamani was back in 2013 when he came for an interview for a position in administration.  There’s a story about that interview, he made such an impression that those who took part still remember coming away saying what a lovely person he was.  This was an early indication of the type of person he was.  Anyway, he joined the company on 1 October 2013 and was with us for nearly eight years.  That’s over a third of the life of the company, so it’s no wonder he became such a part of our lives and that we feel his loss so strongly.

And what a pleasure it was to know him.  Everybody remembers his incredible smile which could cheer you up no matter what mood you were in, and his sunny nature always brightened things up as so many people have said.

But his soft spoken and quiet nature didn’t stop him making a big impact, both as a person and as a colleague.  He packed a huge punch in terms of his work and he made himself into a very valuable member of the admin team.

And now he’s been taken from us at the tragically young age of 41.  My thoughts are with his wife Busisiwe and his adored son – our condolences are heartfelt and we wish you strength in coping with what has happened.

But as someone said, while the world is a worse place for him not being here we should also think of the world being a better place for having had him around.

We are grateful for having had Phaks in our lives and will always remember a wonderful human being and a true gentleman.

Hamba gahle.