Media News South Africa

Political and social commentator Eusebius McKaiser suddenly passes away

Eusebius McKaiser suddenly passed away on Tuesday. The 45-year-old is thought to have suffered an epileptic seizure.
Source: © Twitter  Eusebius McKaiser has suddenly passed away
Source: © Twitter Twitter Eusebius McKaiser has suddenly passed away

The analyst, broadcaster and author, and popular radio talk show host was known for speaking out on social and political issues. McKaiser, who was gay, was also outspoken on racism and sexuality issues.

The Mail & Guardian also says he was a South African national debate champion and the 2011 World Masters Debate Champion. His analytical articles and columns were widely published in South African newspapers, including the Mail & Guardian and The New York Times. McKaiser studied law and philosophy and taught philosophy in South Africa and England.

Committed to SA

“It all happened so quickly. His partner Nduduzo Nyanda is at the mortuary with his family. I am so distraught. I can't believe this,” says McKaiser’s manager Jackie Strydom.

Strydom told TimesLive he had gone about his day without any hint of illness.

McKaiser was committed to fixing South Africa until the end, with his last thoughts on the state of the country shared just hours before his death.

TimesLive reports that he shared his views on the political landscape of the country and the ANC's role in some of the crises we face.

“If the opposition parties do not wake up now, I am afraid we will be saddled with the ANC and its sense of incumbency, with the consequences for ourselves materially for a long time to come,” the article quotes McKaiser as saying.

Tributes

Tributes have flooded in for McKaiser.

Rhodes University in the HeraldLive described him as a political activist who focused on “social and political topics that impact on our lives, and make people sit up and take notice”.

Build One South Africa leader Mmusi Maimane says McKaiser’s death was “a tragic and unexpected blow to South Africa. My deepest condolences to the McKaiser family and to all those who knew and worked with him. Eusebius was a passionate South African intellectual who pushed us all to think, to debate and to unlearn.”

On Twitter, author and journalist, Gus Silber tweets, “I never once read, saw, or heard anything by Eusebius McKaiser that didn't make me think, rethink, laugh out loud, or shout at my radio. He was a giant of South African rhetoric, a lover of language, a stirrer of emotions. His voice, booming & mellifluous, was a force of nature.”

About Danette Breitenbach

Danette Breitenbach is a marketing & media editor at Bizcommunity.com. Previously she freelanced in the marketing and media sector, including for Bizcommunity. She was editor and publisher of AdVantage, the publication that served the marketing, media and advertising industry in southern Africa. She has worked extensively in print media, mainly B2B. She has a Masters in Financial Journalism from Wits.
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