The holiday season has been accompanied by tragic losses for many local families.
It also saw the passing on of two former stalwarts of the Dundee and Endumeni Municipalities.
Mickey Heslop, 71, was for many years the Town Treasurer and later, with the new dispensation after the amalgamation of Dundee and Glencoe, the Financial Manager and still later, the Chief Financial Officer.
Mickey passed away on Sunday after an illness.

He was known as a fastidious man who knew his work thoroughly and worked for the love of what was his hometown. Born in Dundee on November 10, 1945, Mickey started working at the Dundee municipality as an audit clerk in August 1972.
His thoroughness and eye for detail impressed all that knew him and he went on to serve as Chief Financial Officer until his retirement in Dundee in 2006. He was a keen golfer and fisherman and had recently bought a motor-home for him and his wife, Eileen, to enjoy travelling. Mickey is survived by Eileen, his three children Wessel, Kobus and Veronica, five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Tribute to Mario Rosa

Mario Rosa, known locally as Mr Ferrari, died on New Year’s Day at his home in Dundee after a short illness related to cancer. Born in Holland to Italian parents in 1945, the family moved to South Africa and settled in Nongoma where they knew the Haupt family. Mario schooled in Hlobane, Vryheid. His dad, also Mario, moved to Pretoria but died suddenly in 1953. Mario and his mother continued to live in Babanango which he described as the best days of his life.
His mother was the matron at the local hostel. After school, Mario joined the old NPA roads department and later served in the military where he was involved in civil work. Four years later LTA Civils employed him. He moved to Dundee in the 90s where he excelled in the road maintenance department.
True to his Italian heritage, it was a job he loved and he spoke passionately, even after his retirement, of being proud to contribute to the town. He was a keen lover of Formula One and would fly an Italian and Ferrari flag outside his home on race days. Mario leaves behind five children and five grandchildren.