by Samantha Hartshorne
Johannesburg - With a hand to her chest, Letshego Zulu took in everyone’s emotions. “I shared him with all of you.”
It wasn’t something she had planned to do, but after a two-and-a-half-hour memorial service, Gugu Zulu’s bereaved wife took to the podium.
“I’ve been sitting there crying, looking at this picture throughout the service, and I don’t know about you but it’s like he was looking at me.”
As her eyes remained fixed on the portrait of Gugu next to her, she smiled gently. “I was married to an amazing man… he is up there looking at me and saying ‘My love, I am sorry’.”
There was a veil of sadness, a shroud of bitter-sweet nostalgia, and an aura of hope at the Kyalami racetrack convention centre, aptly chosen in remembrance of Zulu the racing star.
Letshego thanked the more than 600 people who came to share their memories and love of a life well lived. Gugu’s wide circle of colleagues and friends were moved to tears.
As they entered the venue, mourners were greeted by a gallery of images of the racing driver and a blank canvas on which to write messages. Letshego had arrived dressed in Zulu’s favourite colour, blue, and his one-year-old daughter was kissed by close family as she cuddled in the arms of Zulu’s mother.
The sombre atmosphere matched the gloomy weather outside. Some members of the Trek4Mandela team sat in solidarity in the front rows, with expedition leader Sibusiso Vilane among them.
In a eulogy to her husband, Letshego said: “I will continue letting our daughter know what a legend you are. You still had so many dreams and plans for yourself. I will find a way to continue telling your story.
“God always picks the best flowers for his garden, and this time he picked you. Today is a celebration of your life and I will love you forever.”
The outpouring of grief for “Africa’s fastest brother” was punctuated at times by spontaneous crying, but the messages painted an inspiring picture of inspiration. Some called him a giant, a teacher and a philanthropist.
Gugu’s father, Peter, described him as “the greatest story ever told”.
“I marvel at the years that God gifted you to me. You are the greatest thing that ever happened to me. You were so wonderful and kind-hearted. You touched so much with so much charisma and energy – my incredible life-force.”
Gugu’s mother, Puleng, said he always dreamt of being a driver. She feared that meant a taxi driver. “Little did we know he would become a racing car driver and that BMX ended up being a Cape Epic.”
The moving tributes for “uGugu”, as many friends and fans referred to him, were interspersed with musical items by Loyiso Bala. Many joked how Zulu liked to drink dry lemon, and a number of audience members had “Smiley face” icons in support of the racing driver.
Among the mourners from the motorsport fraternity who turned up to celebrate the iconic racer was Volkswagen SA managing director Thomas Schäfer and racing driver Stephen Watson. Also there were actor Vusi Kunene, Gauteng Premier David Makhura and former judge Yvonne Mokgoro.
Watson described Gugu as a legend in the industry and a “selfless soldier”.
Gugu’s sister seemed to best sum up the tributes: “You have summited the highest peak and I will forever be proud of you.”
Gugu was 38 when he died while trying to summit Mount Kilimanjaro on Mandela Day.