Johannesburg - Not even the bitter chill could keep Professor Jonathan Jansen from a heartwarming mission on Wednesday morning.
“You have to take what you have been blessed with and give back with it,” said the vice chancellor of the University of the Free State (UFS), who set off to Uitenhage, near Port Elizabeth, in the early hours, to comfort and inspire the pupils of murdered teacher Jayde Panayiotou.
Jansen told The Star on Tuesday morning that he and his UFS team usually went down to comfort and help communities who were affected by tragedies like that of Panayiotou.
“Whenever a community is affected, especially a school community, we go there and give motivational talks to try to lift the community. We spoke to the school (where Jayde taught) and asked how we could help. They said we should come and speak with the pupils,” he said.
Jansen said there were three parts to his programme of connecting with the pupils. “There is an inspirational piano component where we play about three piano tunes like Somewhere Over The Rainbow in a jazz format. From there, there is a winter comedy skit where we get the kids laughing and lift their spirits. And then we talk about what it means to lose a teacher like Jayde.”
Jansen said such a teacher was someone who did her job filled with passion and love.
“She made a conscious decision to teach. This is not just about Jayde, it’s about giving back to our country and most of all giving hope. When a community loses hope there is nothing left,” said Jansen.
“We have so much hurt in our country and we have to combat this hurt with healing,” he said.
Panayiotou was a teacher at Riebeek College Girls’ High School in Uitenhage.
Her husband, Christopher, has been accused of orchestrating her murder in April and is in police custody.
He and two others are due to appear in court together for the first time on June 19.
All three men have been charged with murder, kidnapping, robbery with aggravating circumstances and conspiracy to commit murder.
The Star