JEFFREYS BAY – “Instead of becoming impatient about your own situation, one can instead take the opportunity to leave a sparkle where you have been.”
These were among the final published words of Veronica Fourie (65), penned in her last column for the Kouga Express just 11 days before her death.
The beloved journalist and columnist, who faced her ovarian cancer diagnosis with characteristic grace and defiant red lipstick, passed away on 22 December while being transported to hospital by ambulance.
Just four days earlier, the award-winning journalist had turned what she believed would be her final chemotherapy session into a celebration, dressing up with her close friend, applying their “signature red lipstick,” and setting off to Gqeberha filled with laughter and stories rather than fear.
“This is a twist in my story. But it’s still my story,” Veronica had written when first sharing her cancer diagnosis with readers in November. “That’s why I’m still living life to the fullest, as best I can, for as long as I can! Wearing lipstick at today’s first chemo!”
Her daughter, Erika Ferreira, confirmed the news in a WhatsApp message to family and friends, marking the end of a remarkable life that exemplified how to live with joy despite adversity.
Bettie Giliomee-Rossouw, General Manager of EP Media, which publishes Kouga Express and former colleague of Veronica, said that she first met Veronica as a rookie journalist when she (Bettie) started working at Die Oosterlig in 1992.
She said that Veronica was already a seasoned journalist working in the Kariega office at the time.
“Her cheerfulness – joyfulness – was always contagious. And this despite a tough time a few years earlier when she lost her little daughter after a vehicle accident and had to spend a long time in hospital and had to learn to walk again due to her injuries,” said Bettie.
After her stint at Die Oosterlig and later Die Burger (Oos-Kaap), she worked at the SABC and won numerous Vodacom journalism and other awards for her work.
Bettie described Veronica as a people person who always had a big smile on her face.
“In addition to her son and daughter, she also loved her dog children very much. You could see from her Facebook posts how proud she was of her children,” said Bettie.
She said that after Veronica retired from the SABC, she moved to Jeffreys Bay and she was very happy here and quickly settled into the town.
Veronica wrote a weekly column for the Kouga Express titled Veronica Vertel, about her thoughts and experiences.
Bettie said that even after she was recently diagnosed with cancer, she continued to write.
She said that the night before her first chemo session, she wrote another article for Kouga Express about her friend, the actor Phillip Henn, who passed away suddenly, and their last meal together.
Phillip was a resident of Oyster Bay, just around the corner from Jeffreys Bay.
“Veronica was more than just a reporter; she was a person who put herself into the stories she wrote, and she was a mother and a beautiful, dear friend. She leaves a big void,” said Bettie.
Veronica’s close friend Soria Swart said she was beyond shocked to learn about the passing of her dear friend.
She said that just last Thursday, 18 December, she took Veronica to what was believed to be her “final” chemotherapy treatment.
“As only Veronica could and as only we would do, we turned it into a grand occasion. We dressed up, put on our signature red lipstick, and set off early that morning on the road to Gqeberha, full of excitement,” said Soria.
She said that Veronica lived for stories and since she (Soria) is originally from Namaqualand, “stories is ons kos!”.
Soria said that the road was filled with laughter, long conversations, and shared memories.
“She spoke of dancing at a wedding in Lamberts Bay, of fish meals at Muisbosskerm, of the people who shaped her life. Never once did she speak of being ill,” said Soria.
She said that during the drive, Veronica shared with her that she felt almost guilty because, as she put it, “if my hair hadn’t fallen out, no one would know I had cancer because I don’t feel sick at all. It’s only the chemo that makes me feel unwell.”
Soria said that Veronica was an inspiration to all, a living example of “how to live in spite of!”.
“She lived without blame. Without regret. With pure joy. She was a true playmate of life. Time spent with her left you richer, your spirit recharged, your heart full, feeling that your time had been deeply and meaningfully well spent,” said Soria.
She said that Veronica joked that she now had to spend all her money quickly before she died.
“That was Veronica: light, honest, fiercely alive until the very end. She lived fully. No book is thick enough to hold all the words one would want to say about her. You had to experience her. The loss is profound, raw, and immeasurable,” said Soria.
Ellen Hancke, who is a fellow journalist and was friends with Veronica for over three decades, described her as someone for whom “her glass was always full to overflowing… the red lipstick a conqueror of everything that was negative.”
In a letter to Veronica that Ellen wrote on her death, she described how they went to festivals together, Grahamstown and KKNK, farm visits at Vergenoeg, and weekends of crazy fun, little sleep, deep belly laughs, and just sharing random stories.
“We also sometimes cried together, had children, experienced divorce, and saw our children get married,” said Ellen.
“The last few months were so difficult, but you nevertheless had an ‘I will rejoice’ attitude. Your last ‘I feel a bit sick’ left me somewhat anxious, little did I know. We are devastated, it was just too soon.”
Veronica leaves behind her daughter Erika and son-in-law, Dawson Ferreira, two grandchildren Yula and Heston Jr Ferreira and her son, Dr Ruhan Fourie.
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