Family and friends were shocked by the sudden death of well-known hairdresser Pieter Strydom (66), also known as Piet Hare, who died in an accident in Trichardt on November 22.

The accident occurred on Barney Molokwane Street at around 15:43. It is alleged that a 42-year-old male driver of a VW Polo skipped a stop street, veered into the oncoming lane in which Strydom was travelling, and crashed head-on. ER24 declared Strydom dead at the scene.

Captain Marius Pienaar from Trichardt SAPS confirmed the arrest of the Polo’s driver. Police officers took the man from the accident scene to a hospital for alcohol testing.

He appeared in Secunda Magistrate’s Court on November 24 on charges of culpable homicide, reckless and negligent driving, and being under the influence of alcohol. He was released on bail of R1 000 and will return to court on February 6, 2026.

Strydom was born at Bethal Hospital and raised in Trichardt. He attended Laerskool Trichardt for his primary schooling, finished high school at Jim van Tonder School, and completed his apprenticeship as a barber at Swannies Haarkapper in Bethal in the late 1970s.

In 1981, he opened his first barbershop on the main street in Trichardt under the name Strydom Haarkappers. His talent for cutting hair meant his last business location at Lake Umuzi continued trading under the same name.

“Being a barber is all my father knew and had done all these years,” said Paul Strydom, his son.

Strydom and the family moved briefly to Middelburg in 1993, but he was in such demand that he returned to Trichardt.

“People would travel from here to Middelburg for a haircut,” said Paul.

Doctors from Pretoria would also travel through to have their hair cut by Piet. Strydom was married to Maralize for 43 years, and the couple had three children – Nico (42), Paul (40), and Maritza (34) – a daughter-in-law Bernice, and eight grandchildren, with one on the way.

He also had two brothers, Hans and Nico.

In his earlier years, Strydom was president of and player for the Trichardt Rugby Club and competed in numerous marathons, including the Comrades Marathon in 1983.

He was also a talented musician who could play the drums and concertina. His musical career began as a young boy when his father, Nicolas, died from a heart attack, and the family and friends band, Eike Orkes, was due to perform at a wedding.

“Wherever there was a wedding, function or party, my dad was there,” said Paul.

In later years, he was part of The Villages, a band of six, and would perform every Friday at Unicor Dam, which many locals remember fondly.

“They were the entertainers back in the day, like a DJ would be now. Every weekend, they were busy. Those were the fun days. He was a busy man. My mom would raise the children while he had the social life,” added a laughing Maritza.

Strydom would steer away from conflict but would stand up for himself if necessary, according to Paul. Besides being a musician, rugby player, and barber, Strydom was also a reservist for the Trichardt police in earlier years.

Paul said that as youngsters, they could never go to clubs underage or get into much trouble because everyone knew their father.

Strydom had his first heart attack in 2014. He feared doctors and did not want to undergo procedures, eventually suffering two more heart attacks, with the last one in 2025. He also suffered from poor blood circulation.

“We thought we would lose him one day because of his heart. Not an accident,” said Paul.

Maritza said there was no other barber who could cut hair as her father did. Strydom was described as a pleasant, helpful man, a family man, and a party animal. He also had a wide network of friends.

The family thanks everyone for the messages of condolence.

They especially thanked Pieter St Ledger, Danny, Hannes de Vos, and Rayno Beukes for reaching out to the family at the time of the accident and being on the scene. Strydom’s memorial was held at the Nederduitsch Hervormde Church on November 29.