”Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.” Winston Churchill would say these words as a token of gratitude to the British fighter pilots who risked their lives in defense of the island of the English people — Great Britain. The British squadrons flew their young men to certain death — proud, bold, stubborn as the English bulldog is reputed — they responded with courage towards the Nazi invasion, and saved the day because they were committed to bringing the world war to an end.
In the person of Brett Kebble, so much is owed by so many to one man — bold, proud, stubborn, ebullient, a maverick and a pioneer. Not unlike the English squadron — he would dare ridicule, criticism, even possible ruin in pursuit of an equitable economic ideal — black economic empowerment (BEE).
Catalyst and yeast, pilot and engineer, his actions would lead to the broadest creation of BEE companies with ripple effects far wider than first considered.
With steel nerves and an iron will he would tread where even angels do not dare.
This earned him a fair number of critics. To some he would forever be linked to controversy, to scandal, to condemnation, to villainy. And yet, others hail him as a mentor, a humanist, an art patron, a champion of BEE.
However much we disagreed about him, whatever sobriquets we may have given him, whichever camp or side or clique we may have belonged to, let us take his parting from us now as an opportunity to join hands in writing his epitaph — one brilliant memory to unite us all.
To borrow from WH Auden, we say: Brett Kebble, ”our north, our south, our east and west. Our working week, and our Sunday’s rest; Our noon, our midnight, our talk, our song. We thought that he would live forever and we were wrong.
”To you, young pilot, the sirens ring; the bugle sounds, and we the living shall never forget you.”
Brett Kebble, born 1964, died ÂÂSeptember 27 2005
This piece is written by Khanyo Gqulu in his personal capapcity, on behalf of Lunga Ncwana, Andile Nkuhlu and countless other young entrepreneurs for whom Brett ÂÂKebble was a mentor and a friend
Kebble’s funeral will be held at the St George’s Cathedral in Cape Town on Tuesday