Johannesburg - A pall of silence has fallen over Honeydew police station following the death of dedicated and gregarious Sergeant Curt Oosthuizen.
There are no more sudden bursts of laughter. Sadness has sullied the air.
This is according to Oosthuizen’s close friend and colleague Sergeant Alton Padyachey, who was his partner for five years in the SAPS Flying Squad.
“He liked to talk very, very, very much. Sometimes people would greet him quickly and make a dash for it because if they stuck around, he would trap them with his talking,” said Padyachey, suppressing a giggle.
“He was such a joker. He would tease everyone. You could not get away without him making fun of you. I don’t think he had an angry bone in his body.”
The 35-year-old father of a 5-year-old boy and an 8-year-old girl was killed while on duty on Monday evening.
“Sergeant Oosthuizen, who was in his police vehicle, stopped to assist an on-duty Johannesburg metro police officer when a speeding vehicle hit and dragged him for several metres before it came to a stop,” said Lieutenant-General Joel Mothiba. The accident took place on the corner of South Africa and Marina drives in Cosmo City at about 7pm.
Mothiba said the critically injured police officer was airlifted to Milpark Hospital, where he died on Tuesday morning.
Padyachey said that while he would miss his friend, the community would feel the loss too.
“He had a great personality and a huge passion for his job. He would assist anyone who needed help. He was always part of community projects and would even take the police car to schools to teach kids about the work we do,” he said.
The two met in 2004 when Padyachey joined the service, and they became partners in 2006.
“He and I had a close personal relationship, so much so that our families would meet often and we told each other everything. He lived for his job, and when I was down, he’d motivate me about the work we were doing.
Mothiba added: “We are deeply saddened about this tragic loss of life of our member, who died while responding to the call of duty to ensure the safety of our people. He served with dedication right until he untimely met his death.”
“On behalf of the police leadership in Gauteng and his colleagues and entire SAPS, I wish to convey our deepest condolences to the families.”
The suspect, who was charged with culpable homicide, was denied bail.
Oosthuizen’s funeral will be held in Randfontein on Saturday.
The Star