As the Covid-19 death toll rises, South Coasters are mourning the loss of two long-serving and dedicated people who held prominent and public positions in society. Captain Vuyani Rini, Port Shepstone Saps K9 unit commander, and Dalene Erasmus, Lower South Coast SPCA marketing manager, died this week from Covid-19 complications.

Capt Rini began his career as a constable and went on to eventually become the first black commander at the Port Shepstone Saps K9 dog unit. Warrant Officer Rommel da Rosa, now acting unit commander, shared how Capt Rini had been a major influence with the dog unit for more than thirty years.

“He was a true ‘blue blood’, a policeman through and through. There were countless instances where he went beyond the call of duty to help the community,” said W/O da Rosa.

Capt Rini’s wife, Bongi, shared how they had met while at high school in Harding, in 1985. After school he left to join the police and they lost contact.

That was until they met up again in Port Shepstone five years later and they seamlessly picked up from where they had left off.

They married and had four children, Maminki, Phumelele, Nokwazi and Chumani. “We had the best life together and were blessed with four wonderful children who have all gone on to lead successful lives and careers,” she said.

“Vuyani was a adoring husband and a caring father. He loved his family and would do anything for us.” She recalled how seriously he took his work.

“He’s been with the dog unit for as long as I can remember. It was more than just a job for him, it was his life. He would do whatever it took to arrest criminals,” she said. “Our home will never be the same without him but God decided that He needs him. I will always love and miss him. He was the love of my life.”

Dalene’s husband Manus said it had been a wonderful privilege to have known and loved Dalene for more than 40 years. They were married for 36 years and raised three children, Stephen, Michael and Nicolene.

They are all married now, to respective partners Danielle, Shavaun and Bryan, and there are six grandchildren, namely Celesté-lee, Declan, Jaden, Chloé, Stewart and Cheyanne. Manus described Dalene as a formidable woman, who worked for various financial institutions undergoing corporate financial restructuring.

She was then involved in a serious motor accident at Umzumbe which crippled her. However, she never gave up and persisted until she could walk again – 18 months later.

It was then that she was offered a position at the Lower South coast SPCA. She loved it and served as the marketing manager.

Dalene was instrumental in improving its operations with the appointment of extra staff, equipment, veterinarians and field officers. She turned 60 in March last year and vowed to have 60 animals spayed. Typically, she went above and beyond and eventually more than a 100 animals were spayed.

She rescued and re-homed so many animals that she lost count, but 15 of these she took home and they became the family’s ‘fur babies’. Dalene also reunited a family in Malasia with their beloved pet, Bibi, when they had to return home and the pet was stranded temporarily in South Africa.

She was a real animal detective and was often able to return stolen animals to their rightful owners. In some cases the animals had been missing for a few years. Dalene never talked about retirement as she could not wait to get to work and interact with the animals.

One of her favourites was Baxter, a goat, who practically lived in her office and was often spoilt with biscuits. Her death is a devastating loss, not only for the SPCA, but for the community as well. Chairman Scott Kvalsvig and vice-chairman Carla Steenkamp of the SPCA described her as a true animal warrior, a cornerstone of the society.

They described Dalene as a heroine who selflessly helped people and animals alike. “She loved animals and anyone who loved animals. Her family was her happy place,” said Mr Kvalsvig.

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