One of South Africa’s most wanted hitmen Glen Chait committed suicide in priso n rather than face charges in Britain. The ebola virus claimed its first South African victim when Morningside clinic’s Marylin Lehana lost her fight agains
t the horrifying virus. Photographer Mohammed Amin died in the crash of a hija cked airplane off the coast of Comores. Amin became famous for his pictures du ring the f amine in Ethopia in the Eighties. Jazz great Ella Fitzgerald died of complicat ions relating to diabetes in Beverly Hills. Cyril Bongani Mchunu, DJ king of R adio Zulu known as ”Kansas City” to his fans, died in November of tuberculosis . ”Mother of Light”, Nokukhanya Luthuli, the widow of South Africa’s first Nob el Peace Prize winner and former ANC president Chief Albert Luthuli, died in D urban. Sou th African-born writer and philospher Sir Laurens van der Post died at his hom e in London. Sophiatown-born Ingoapele Madingoane, known as Soweto’s original people’s poet, died earlier this ! month. Television personality and journalist Jan Spies died from injuries sus
tained in a car crash in Windhoek. Lesotho’s monarch King MoshoeshoeII died in a car crash in the Free State’s Maluti mountains. Harold Wolpe, lawyer, acade
mic and anti-apartheid activist died after surgery following a heart attack in Cape Town. Film-maker Jamie Uys, well known for The Gods Must Be Crazy , died
of a hear
t attack. Journalist and author Roger Omond died of cancer. Afrikaans author a nd academic Dr Elsabe Steenberg, died of multiple sclerosis in Potchefstroom. The founder of the Black Sash, Jean Sinclair, died in Johannesburg. George Bur ns, comedian, died shortly after reaching 100. European cinema giant Krzysztof Kieslowski, much loved actor and dancer Gene Kelly, famous for Singing in the
Rain, and
Cubby Broccoli, the man who brought Ian Fleming’s fictional superspy – James
Bond – to life on the big screen, died this year. Margaux Hemingway, allegedly a suicide, was granddaughter of !
famous American author Ernest Hemingway and also worked as a model and
an actor. Marcello Mastroianni, actor, the best known Italian of his generati
on, star of La Dolce Vita, died this month. Astronomer Carl Sagan, the man who brought science into the homes of millions of people, died in Seattle after a
two-year fight with bone marrow disease. Former French president Francois Mit
terrand died of prostate cancer in Paris. Jazz saxophonist Gerry Mulligan died in Connec
ticut. Returned South African exile Jane Gool, who was a stalwart of the Unity Movement, died this year. Legendary boxing promoter Maurice Toweel died of ki
dney failure. Financial journalist Don Wilkinson died in Sandton. City desk re porter at The Star, Lorna Zofuka, was killed in a car accident while on her wa y to Durban. Business Day journalist Mduduzi ka Harvey died weeks later of inj uries sust ained in the accident. Four members of Sankomoto died in a road accident. Peta Teanet, Shangaan disco king, died. Lucky Meletse, captain of the South Africa
n Special Olympics team, was stab! bed to death. Clive Menell, Anglovaal deputy chairman, died after a long illn
ess. Wits law professor Etienne Mureinik plunged to death from a hotel window. Former Central African emperor Jean Bedel-Bokassa, died of a heart attack.