DURBAN – The Cambridge City Council has expressed “deep sadness” following the death of its mayor – councillor Nigel Gawthrope – who died on Friday while scuba diving at Aliwal Shoal on the uMkomaas coast of KwaZulu-Natal.
Aliwal Shoal is a popular destination for professional and amateur scuba divers.
Sixty-one-year-old Gawthrope is thought to have suffered a heart attack just after exiting the water after a dive. He was holidaying in the country with his wife, Jenny. He was an experienced scuba diver and underwater photographer.
Said the council in a statement released on Sunday: “With deep sadness, Cambridge City Council shares confirmation of the sudden and tragic death of the Mayor of Cambridge, Cllr Nigel Gawthrope, at lunchtime on Friday following a dive off IN Durban in South Africa.
“The council’s thoughts are with the his wife Jenny, the mayoress, who was with him, and with his family and friends and close council colleagues as they come to terms with this devastating loss. The exact cause of Cllr Gawthrope’s death has yet to be confirmed,” said the statement.
African News Agency (ANA)