Journalist Patrick Laurence died recently. Our country could not have been as vibrant without Patrick as he fought beside the forces of liberty against despotism and wrong.
He was an icon of freedom, a fearless journalist. He emulated a deep sense for patriotism and courage for what is good.
Patrick could be considered the dean of South African journalists, the best educated and the most influential journalist.
He was one of the giants of our media and his devotion to journalism and commitment to the truth helped strengthen freedom of the press in South Africa.
Patrick was dedicated to ethics, transparency and fearless contribution.
Death awaits us all, of course. Yet there are some deaths that rip from the earth that which is clear, that which is visionary, that which is moral, and that which is true.
Patrick was one of those rare human beings, one of those rare souls, and one of those rare minds whose death leaves us naked, bare, smaller.
He was one of those whose death makes the world seem more jumbled than it was before because no matter how complex the challenge, no matter how mighty the foe, on issues of right and wrong, justice and injustice, truth and opposite, Patrick Laurence never tired.
He was one of the very few people who risked his life for his work in journalism, not for plaudits, and not for a danger-seeking thrill, but because he believed deeply that what he had to say needed to be heard. The “courage of not compromising” was his motto.
May your soul rest in peace and may God grant your family and friends the strength to accept, in this difficult time, that it is not the number of years you lived but what you accomplished and the mark you left on the lives of others, that will forever be remembered and cherished.
There is so much more you would have wanted to do on earth but your bigger assignment is elsewhere.
Farouk Araie
Actonville, Benoni