Editor – Some time ago I read in the Express that our community newspaper welcomed hearing about local Kempton Park heroes and heroines.
There are many types of South African heroes.
Some are very brave like our frontline policing and medical workers who have put their lives on the line for the communities they serve during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
Some are kind fellow citizens and neighours.
The most wonderful heroes are often unsung though and perform their selfless deeds without seeking any acknowledgement at all, but merely because they are genuinely good people.
In this era of horrific crime we often tend to only complain about all our woes and gripes, but unfortunately we seldom publicly praise our many unsung heroes.
I am home-bound and not very mobile due to a physical disability.
My wonderful neighbours Fred and Soekie Bezuidenhout and their charming daughter Sonja and her husband Marius are my personal heroes due to the amazing kindness they have shown to me over an extended period of time.
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They have shown me an abundance of kindness, too numerous to list in a short correspondence and its a therapeutic bonus to hear Marius and Sonja’s beautiful little daughters, Abigail and Isabelle’s cheerful bubbly voices when the family occasionally visit me.
They show me with their kindness and generosity and I can never repay their empathy and assistance.
Whether it has been selflessly assisting by repairing my garden or home implements, or even my washing machine, or sharing their Christmas meal with me, I have been truly blessed by knowing them, and can never repay all they have done for me.
Due to the exorbitantly high crime rate in our country, most of us live in seclusion behind high walls and indeed, for about 10 years I barely knew any of my neighbours, except for brief greetings.
In my time of need later in life the Bezuidenhout and Van der Sandt families have shown their wonderful pedigree.
They have enhanced my faith in humankind. If there were more people like them in South African society, what a wonderful country this would be.
God has been very generous in providing many miracles to me in times of need and perhaps the greatest blessing has been giving me such wonderful neighbours. I am sure that God has already reserved a special place in heaven for my local heroes.
Recently another huge statue was unveiled at OR Tambo Airport. I think the money would have been far better spent recognising and celebrating the many nameless average citizen heroes who live side by side, who daily contribute to making our beloved South Africa a much better place.
Surely the community should be treasuring our many community and neighbourhood heroes.
I humbly suggest taking a few minutes to drop a cake off at your local police station where officers are on a tedious night shift, or perhaps even arrange a joint community visit to the local hospital to congratulate the medical staff who daily put their lives on the line for us.
And most importantly, celebrate the many good Samaritan neighbours among us. If it is at all possible to take only one good thing from this horrific year of Covid-19, it should be a common desire to foster community togetherness and purpose in times of great adversity and going forward.
Clive Swann,
Bonaero Park.
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