A memorial service in celebration of Marolien Schmidt’s life was held on Friday evening, August 18. Over a hundred friends, family members and neighbours, most dressed in pink, filled the Slipperfields Events and Conference Venue to honour her memory.
Upon entry, guests were encouraged to put on the pink lipsticks placed under a big picture of Schmidt as they entered the foyer. The room was quickly filled with smiles, laughter and chatter while upbeat music played in the background. “Jealous of the angels” by Donna Taggart played loudly and the room was silent. After the last note, Schmidt’s younger brother, Jan Schmidt welcomed everyone and stressed that instead of mourning her life, his older sister wanted her life to be celebrated.
“We as a family are blown away by all the generosity and support we’ve received from each one of you, even people we’ve never met before. This shows just how much my sister loved people, she made a deeper, meaningful connection with everyone she encountered. So, thank you all for being here, and helping us celebrate a life well-lived,” he said before introducing the first speaker.
“My name is Rebecca ‘Becky’ Gatangi, but Marolien called me Becks! We met through mutual friends in 2020 and I’d say we had a very intense friendship – to a point where my husband often joked that Marolien and I are having an affair because of all the secret meetings we’d have!”
“My friend, I will miss all the motivation you’d give me, how much you loved my children, and our runs together. Your life was a series of challenges, but I was always inspired by how you rose above them all. You never gave up, until the very end. Now you will no longer have to worry about your weight, bills to pay, and the 14-hour fasting you tried to rope me in,” she said laughingly.
Gatangi assured her late friend that her dreams will never die, that they will forever live on inside the hearts of all the people that loved her. “May justice prevail for Marolien and all other victims of gender-based violence,” she said emotionally before stepping off the podium – not a single dry eye could be found in the room.
Another friend of Schmidt’s, Michelle Enslin, who was also her physio patient, applauded the Schmidt family for raising such a caring, strong woman, “I can see the same strength she had, in each of you,” she said. “Today, I encourage all of us to remember how Marolien lived instead of the tragic way she died. Grief is the final act of love. Where there is deep grief, there was deep love,” she concluded.
Finally, Jan Schmidt took to the podium to conclude with a tribute he wrote for his sister. “I wrote this while sitting in your office, surrounded by all your things,” he paused emotionally. Jan shared fond memories of how Marolien has always been caring and selfless from a tender age. “When I was born, my sister was only seven years old and she was obsessed with me. She’d carry me around and attempt to feed me until mom bought her a baby doll to play with,” he fondly recalled.
While packing away his sister’s belongings, Jan found a diary with 30 goals she wanted to achieve for her 30th birthday. “Some of these were to forgive daily, to laugh out loud, to be honest always, to work hard, and to fear fear. I’d say she’s outdone herself in achieving these goals. So, to my sister who believed pink was not just a colour but an attitude, may we all raise our glasses,” he toasted.
Schmidt, a well-known Gqeberha physiotherapist and Ironman triathlon athlete, died after being stabbed in her Richmond Hill home in the early hours of August 9.
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The man who is suspected of killing her, Simxolele Zitshu, was arrested less than 24 hours later.
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He is set to make his third appearance at the Gqeberha Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, August 22 for his formal bail hearing. Zitshu remains in police custody.
