Pretoria - Tributes are pouring in for the principal of Maragon Mooikloof school, Chris Zaayman, 56, who passed away in hospital on Tuesday from Covid-19 complications.
Teachers, pupils and parents are reeling following the death of their “beloved” principle.
After Zaayman, his wife and their daughters returned from a holiday in KwaZulu-Natal last week, he started feeling ill.
He and his family all tested positive for Covid-19.
When his condition deteriorated on Friday, he was admitted to hospital, where he died early on Tuesday.
“We were absolutely shocked. We … followed his progress (in hospital). We wholeheartedly believed that he would recover, as he loved life,” his wife said.
She described her husband as a “people’s person” who loved his family and the learners at the school, and all the staff, who held him in high esteem. He created a platform for learners to grow both emotionally and academically, and was an incredible leader who also jumped in to help with school activities.
A special Facebook page has been created following his death, where people can share their memories of him. Messages from pupils who left the school years ago are streaming in, talking about how he had shaped them into the people they are today.
Several posts mentioned how he loved each learner, like he or she was his own.
A parent wrote: “A true giant has fallen … You have done your assignment on Earth, great man of God.”
A memorial service for Zaayman will be held next Wednesday.
Pretoria News