Eusebius McKaiser was many things to his many friends, acquaintances and colleagues who gathered at his memorial service held in Parktown on Tuesday.
Master of Ceremonies and friend Sakina Kamwendo said Mckaiser, was more than just an acclaimed author, broadcaster, and journalist. She said he was also a political animal who loved all of his friends and spoke intensively about them, whether it was good or bad.
During the memorial service, it was revealed that McKaiser was diagnosed with epilepsy in 2008 and had endured multiple hospitalisations. He did not share his medical condition with the public because he wanted to be treated normally, commented Redi Tlhabi, who shared a close friendship with McKaiser.
Vukani Mde, another friend, said it was difficult for him to speak of McKaiser in the past but described their union as a beautiful friendship.
“We met in 2005 when we both worked at Business Day and I must say I did not like him at first. He was a bit cocky and clever for his own good. I kept up the dislike for weeks possibly months but realised after some time I became friends with him,” said Mde.
Timeslive Editor Makhudu Sefara said McKaiser lived quite an eventful life. Sefara said he heard about his death and experienced a torrent of emotions because of the shocking news.
“Mckaiser was an intellectual machine and was such a great asset to Arena Holdings. His writing showed that he really liked books and was obsessed about detail,” said Sefara.
Karyn Maughn, a colleague, said they had met at Rhodes University. She described him as a brilliant, kind and alive human being, who demanded excellence.
“I always walked away from conversations with Eusebius knowing at the end that I knew more than when we started talking,” said Maughn.
His other friends, Zwelijongile Kwebityala and Bongani Khumalo, said they knew McKaiser from the streets and said he had the ability to be two things at once.
Zweli said he met Mckaiser on an online platform and the two hit it off while Bongani once stayed with him.
“He could charm any organism that walked on two feet. He made it to people’s bedrooms by the sound of his voice. He will miss ‘being seen’. He had the most incredible ability to make people feel seen,” said Zweli.
Nduduzo Nyanda, McKaiser’s life partner, who said he was not a man of many words, shared their special moments together. Nyanda said he was a regular caller when Mckaiser was still doing Powertalk on Power Fm and within a week of them dating they moved in together.
“For the many years that we have been together, I finally get to give you uninterrupted feedback. I will miss our Sunday nights the most, the cheesy music and your love for 80s music. I will miss his voice notes, him walking around the house, and recording voice notes for somebody else. I promise to continue reading like you always wanted me to,” said Nyanda.
Mckaiser, who celebrated his 44th birthday in March this year, died suddenly last Tuesday due to a suspected epileptic seizure.
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