Cornelius Basson, Lentegeur
It was with immense gratitude and high honour that we attended the 40th anniversary celebration of the Plainsman at Spine Road High School on Thursday September 26.
My wife and I were invited, and we were very excited to attend this prestigious event, as we do not attend many happy events following the killing of our son, Chad Basson, who was shot dead at a birthday party on July 28 last year, leaving our family traumatised (“Teen dies protecting friends”, Plainsman August 1, 2018).
The celebration was top notch.
The Plainsman is every part of the lives of the people of Mitchell’s Plain.
It is something we find difficult to cope without, and we try not to miss a single edition.
On Wednesdays we are so much looking out for our favourite community newspaper. We are disappointed when we can’t lay our hands on a single copy.
Sometimes we go from place to place to check for delivery, often finding a wrinkled copy that someone has thrown away.
For my family, the Plainsman was there in our happy times, during community events and finally was one of the voices that reported on the tragedy that had befallen on our son.
Our own little hero.
It is a newspaper where “legends” were made — everyone knows former reporters Simoneh de Bruin and Fuad Esack, now Cape Community Newspapers deputy editor and sports editor respectively.
Then came reporters Lauren O’ Connor-May, Verna van Diemen, Mika Williams, Fouzia van der Fort and now Marsha Leitch.
We were equally proud when Simoneh and Fuad were promoted, like they were our own children or siblings, who had achieved.
I think that is the Plainsman’s biggest attribute – their passionate staff.
Thank you for being the voice of the voiceless, acknowledging the many community activists of the ‘Plain and promoting the many well intentioned community organisations.
Aluta Continua.