Wentworth family mourns unexpected Covid-19 death
A Wentworth family is mourning their beloved brother and father, Keith Smales, 51, who succumbed to the virus a week ago.
AS the Covid-19 cases peak, so too does the death toll, which is slowly finding its way into local communities and getting closer to home.
A Wentworth family is mourning their beloved brother and father, Keith Smales, 51, who succumbed to a Covid-19 infection a week ago.
“He had been unwell for about a week after returning from working out in Kokstad. He had flu-like symptoms and went to go see a doctor, who diagnosed him with the flu. He didn’t do the Covid test. Because I was in quarantine at the time, I couldn’t go visit him. But when I eventually went to see him a few days later, I could see that he wasn’t well and insisted that we do a Covid-19 test, which we did and then returned back home while we awaited the results,” said his sister, Lavona van Niekerk, who nursed and took great care of her brother at the time.
It was the last visit to check up on Keith on a Saturday that prompted Lavona to take him to Wentworth Hospital, where he was admitted. “Although he didn’t show any signs of respiratory distress, he was very weak. The very next day on Sunday, we got a call from the hospital to say that he had passed away. Just like that, overnight, it was so shocking. It is never easy to hear that a loved one has passed, especially not like that,” recalled a distraught Lavona.
She shared that the family is still trying to come to terms with the sudden passing. “We draw strength from each other. We’re a very spiritual family and are leaning on the Lord through this difficult time.”
The Smales family has been overwhelmed by the positive tributes which were testimony of the honourable man that Keith was. He was well known in local and national circles. His work as a hail technician saw him travel internationally. He is survived by his two daughters whom he raised as a single father.
“He lived for his children and did everything for them. He will be remembered as an absolute gentleman. There was never a day that you would hear him raise his voice or say no to someone in need. He really didn’t deserve this,” said Lavona who urges the public to take this pandemic seriously and exercise the necessary safety and hygiene practices to avoid becoming victims Covid-19 as her family has.
FOR YOUR INFORMATION
As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19. For any comments or queries, contact the National Group Editor, Irma Green at irma@caxton.co.za or the Legal Adviser, Helene Eloff at helene@caxton.co.za.
DID YOU KNOW?
Click on the words highlighted in red to read more on this and related topics.
To receive news links via WhatsApp or Telegram, send an invite to 061 876 3179
The Southlands Sun is also on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest – why not join us there?
Do you have more information pertaining to this story?
Feel free to let us know by commenting on our Facebook page or you can contact our newsroom on 031 903 2341 and speak to a journalist.
To receive our free newsletter click here
(Comments posted on this issue may be used for publication in the Sun)
