Norman Reynolds, a beloved partner, father, friend and mentor, died last Saturday, December 15, while hiking with his daughters in the Drakensberg. Reynolds was a development economist who dedicated his life to envisioning and implementing economic rights-based programmes that restore the local economies of communities through processes that reclaim African traditions of mutual care and support and bring economic growth.

When a soldier moves on from our realm to the next, the platoons go silent. A sense of disbelief hovers, but we dare not lose focus on the mission. Prayers and faith are paramount in the arsenal. A hip-hop soldier blessed with intellect, armed with a razor sharp tongue and a microphone, Mr Fat carved his imprint in the hearts of many.

Professor Ruben Sher, the man who predicted 20 years ago that HIV/Aids would become a “biological holocaust” in South Africa, has died at the age of 78. Under apartheid, and at a time when the disease was seen as a problem of white homosexuals, he was the stubborn, forthright and vocal prophet warning of the looming tragedy.