A peace-loving guy with a big love for golfing.
This is how friends and family of Joe Esitang will remember him. The 65-year-old was on his way to work on the morning of Tuesday 16 September when he was struck down on the R44, close to his place of employment, Stellenbosch Golf Club.
According to colleague Meisie Peter, the beloved caddy was a good person who looked out for her when she had started working at the Stellenbosch Golf Club in 2007.
“Joe was a very respectful man to young and old,” Peter, who is a chef at the club, said. “He loved his job and was always around carrying those bags in the club. I hope his soul rests in peace. He was not supposed to die the way he did.”
Esitang was killed on that Tuesday morning after being knocked down by a traffic officer of the Stellenbosch Municipality.
According to the municipality an on-duty traffic officer was in pursuit of a vehicle that attempted to speed away. While the officer was in pursuit, Esitang was struck.
Emergency services and paramedics were on the scene and stabilised the caddy, before he was transported to hospital. Esitang later succumbed to his injuries.
In a statement the municipality said an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the tragic incident has been launched. The municipality also promised to cooperate with the police investigation.
Dr Geoffrey Esitang said he will remember his elder brother as a peaceful fellow who loved their 95-year-old mother. “Before his passing he came to visit me and our mum in Pretoria,” Dr Esitang told Eikestadnuus.
“He had the utmost love for her, so I’m glad he had the opportunity to visit, almost as if he was saying goodbye.”
Esitang’s love for golf was not bound to his work as caddy. He was also part of a golf team made up of caddies and used to be a fixture at the Pinelands Golf Club, the brother explained.
Despite living in Khayamandi for the last decade Esitang was born and bred in Gugulethu, where he will be laid to rest on Saturday 28 September.
He is survived by two brothers, two sisters and his mother.
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