Durban - A memorial service for Pietermaritzburg’s first black mayor, Omar Latiff, who died in September, will be held at the City Hall on Tuesday evening and will be attended by many of the province’s political and business elite.
Latiff died after suffering a heart attack at the age of 61.
He was a lecturer in accounting at the then University of Natal, and was later promoted to Professor of Taxation at the institution.
He was also behind the rates boycott in 1989, against the old municipality, that saw 15 000 march in solidarity against the rates. In 1994, Latiff became the chairman of the executive committee council and, in 1996, was elected Pietermaritzburg’s first black mayor.
During his tenure as mayor he awarded then President Nelson Mandela with the Freedom of the City. Mandela then conferred the same honour posthumously on Mohandas Gandhi.
After the stint as mayor, Latiff continued his work as a chartered accountant and worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers until retirement a year ago.
He is survived by his wife, Roshen, and four children, Ozayr, Adil, Radiyya and Asma.
Daily News
* Use IOL's Facebook and Twitter pages to comment on our stories. See links below.