Monday 22 January 2018

DA lays intimidation charge against ANC candidate in Ward 14 by-election

Case number Ref NR 326/1/2018 Contact 011 986 9272

DA activist Thenjiwe Mbete yesterday laid a charge of intimidation against ANC ward councillor candidate Makapane Mokwena at the Protea Glen police station.

This follows an incident yesterday morning at the Voting Station where Ms Mbete is volunteering during the registration day for the forthcoming by-election in Ward 14 of the City of Johannesburg.

At approximately 8:15 I arrived at the voting station in Protea North to greet DA activists. As I drove onto the premises I was confronted by a man who began shouting at me. When I asked him what the matter was he continued to shout and accused me of trying to run him over. I apologised and said I had not seen him and certainly did not try to run him over. After greeting DA activists I then drove off to another voting station. I was later told that the man is the ANC ward candidate. 

Thursday 11 January 2018

Video of my father's memorial service

My nephew Michael Chance made a video of my father's memorial service, which you can see here.

Though it does not include all the readings and hymns it captures the essence of the service, including the wonderful motets by the scratch Chance choir.

Saturday 6 January 2018

Memorial service for my father

Yesterday we said goodbye to my father for the last time. He died early in the morning of Christmas Eve in the Criccieth nursing home, Bryn Awelon, where he spent the last two weeks of his life.


His coffin was brought to St Catherine's church on Thursday evening where the vicar, Kim Williams, conducted a brief ceremony for close family members. On Friday morning the hearse led the cortege to Bangor crematorium where Kim led another ceremony, and at 2:30 around 80 family and friends gathered at St Catherine's for a wonderful service of remembrance. We assembled a scratch choir and sang Mozart's Ave Verum Corpus and Tallis' If ye love me, with our cousin Michael Chance singing a short solo piece in his inimical counter-tenor.

My sister Helena and I delivered the eulogies, which I reproduce below. We held the wake at the Lion Hotel and a dinner for 40 family and out of town friends at Dylan's restaurant. A splendid send off for my dearly beloved father.