Obituary: Goodnight Frank, you will be missed

The Malangeni commune had to say goodbye to a friend and leader recently when Frank Kruger, one of their founding members, passed away on August 2.

Earlier this year, the Courier reported on the six wheelchair-bound men from the Malangeni Development Association, both quadriplegic and paraplegic, who set out to defy the odds and are on a mission to give back to the community.

“Frank was a people’s person who never stopped moving. He was our chief, chairman and leader,” said Malangeni’s Dave Theron.

Born in Johannesburg in 1965, Frank suffered a blood clot in his spine which caused him to become a quadriplegic.

However, his chair never got him down and he was a common sight at sports days and community gatherings on the Dolphin Coast, always with a smile and a dose of his razor sharp humour.

Frank passed away of natural causes, leaving behind a wife, two children and five siblings – as well as a heartbroken commune who are not sure how they will cope without his influence and contacts. Malangeni (the rising sun) was born at the end of last year, when the six wheelchairbound men – Frank Kruger, Dave Theron, Cedric Hedgcock, Valentino Govender, Njabulo Cele and Bryan Russell – moved in together.

Kruger and Hedgcock had worked together for 25 years running a help centre when they decided to find a place where people with similar handicaps could live and work together.

“The guys all just want to get on with our our lives, and do it for ourselves,” Kruger told the Courier at the time. And do it himself he certainly did, enjoying such activities as skydiving, deep sea fishing and even being the first quadriplegic ever to take the leap off the arch of the Moses Mabida Stadium. This mix of resolution and enthusiasm is what was propelling Malangeni forward.

“With the death of Frank a couple of big doors have slammed closed and have left us in a financial crush,” said Theron.

“We can get funding but this will take time and we do not have the funds to carry us over. Our immediate needs now are rent, nurses’ salaries and food, we are asking the community to please help with any financial support until we can get back on our feet, we much appreciated it.

“You can contact us or come out and see as at any stage. Contact numbers and maps are on our website : www.malangeni.co.za.”

Malangeni is a registered NPO (102 87) which can provide 18A tax certificates upon donations.

To make a donation, transfer funds to: Malangeni Development Association, Nedbank, code 198 765, account number 1164 531 964, reference 912 856 0233.

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