Outspoken, a brilliant debater, a defender of equal rights and sharing the truth – Journalist Eusebius McKaiser is a South African talent, gone too soon!
Johannesburg, South Africa (31 May 2023) – South Africans have lost a powerful voice in journalism and broadcasting. Eusebius McKaiser passed away suddenly yesterday at the age of 45 after experiencing an alleged epileptic seizure. Just hours earlier he had been praising Musa Motha’s incredible performance and encouraging South Africans to make his name known in every household.
McKaiser was known for his show on 702 but he was also a writer and columnist for several South African publications including Mail & Guardian, Sunday Times, Business Day and a few international publications that featured his works too. He was a political analyst and outspoken about equality in South Africa. He was openly gay and advocated for the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community, and spoke out against the crimes perpetrated against the community.
McKaiser was also an avid reader and supporter of local authors much like himself. He regularly shared his thoughts on books he was reading and encouraged people to read more and support local writers. As an author, he penned three books which focussed on South African politics and social issues. These included A Bantu in My Bathroom!: Debating Race, Sexuality and Other Uncomfortable South African Topics (2012), Could I Vote DA?: A Voter’s Dilemma (2014) and Run Racist Run: Journeys into the Heart of Racism (2016).
McKaiser never shied away from speaking his mind about our political leaders. He believed in holding people accountable for their actions! While he rubbed many people the wrong way, he did it to speak out for South Africa. Just this week, he was infuriated by the senseless death of a little girl whose inverter ran out of battery and she could no longer breathe.
“We need to normalise mentioning the name ‘ANC’ when telling stories about the economic and deeply personal impact of blackouts- such as a child dying because of lack of oxygen when an inverter runs out of backup power.
The effects of blackouts aren’t random natural events. They are the foreseeable consequences of corruption, state capture, technocratic ineptitude, and unethical and ineffectual leadership *by the ANC-misled government.”
Make it a habit to tie the story of Eskom to the ANC.” – Eusebius McKaiser
There are many opinions about the man Eusebius McKaiser was, some hold him in high regard and others not so much. Whatever one’s opinion is, we cannot deny the loss South Africa is facing today. He was a defender to the end!
Our hearts go out to his family, friends and colleagues today and every day they face without him.
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We end off remembering his legacy, by sharing a song he placed online just this week. We find it tragically beautiful that this was the last piece of music he shared with the nation. It is James Blunt’s 1973.
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