Durban - Friends of Mediterranean Shipping Company’s (MSC) national commercial director Glenn Delve were still in shock by the news of his untimely death.
Delve, 61, who was responsible for the importing and exporting of cargo, had been with the company for over 30 years. Delve was found dead at home by his family last Sunday.
His best friend, Angus Innes, said he was “shattered”, adding, “I was the last person to be with him.” He described Delve as an extraordinary person who was well loved and respected in the community of Umhlanga, where Delve lived for more than 35 years.
“On Friday before the Sunday we found him, we spent the night out at a restaurant in Umhlanga and had our normal conversations over some Jameson whiskey, although he was mainly obsessed with wine.
We went our separate ways at about 00.45am on Saturday. I received a missed call from him on the Saturday at 7.45am but thought I would get back to him,” a “mistake” Innes said he would regret for the rest of his life.
“Maybe there’s something I could have done when he called,” said Innes. Innes said he called Delve just after 10am on Saturday but didn’t receive any response. By Sunday, worried because he had not heard from Delve, Innes and Delve’s brother Reagan went to his house and found him dead in his room.
Innes said Delve was known for his elegance and his meticulousness in everything he did. “We had formed a great friendship. We were together almost everyday. He had so much knowledge and he was always kind to everyone. People around Umhlanga called him ‘the mayor of the Umhlanga’, that’s how much everyone adored him.
I honestly lost a part of me and I would never be able to heal,” said Innes. Another friend of Delve’s, Naylan Ganas, said he was “beside himself with grief because he lost a family member” who he had known for over 20 years. “My entire family loved him.
He was a true leader. When I arrived at the company years back, he took me under his wing and taught me everything I know about the shipping industry”, said Ganas.
He said he was saddened there was no funeral for Delve because many of Delve’s clients from all over the world (US, Canada, and Thailand) wanted to be part of his final send-off. “Everyone is shocked, and we’re all lost as to what just happened”, said Ganas.
The MSC in a statement expressed its condolences and said Delve was a very special man, with a vast knowledge of shipping and with a friendly approach in every circumstance. “He was a good friend.
We will miss him.” Delve’s brother, Reagan, said the family suspected he had suffered a heart attack. Delve was cremated on Friday and a memorial service would be held for him on Saturday
SUNDAY TRIBUNE