Durban - TRIBUTES are pouring in for 75-year-old Jayraj Bachu who died on Friday in hospital from Covid-19.
Bachu was a founding member and national leader of the Hindu Unity Movement that was established last year.
He had previously served as a ward councillor for the Clare Estate and Reservoir Hills areas. He served as an ANC councillor and DA candidate councillor.
He displayed flu-like symptoms on Father’s Day, two weeks ago.
Bachu’s long-time friend and president of the SA Hindu Dharma Sabha, Ram Maharaj, yesterday described Bachu as an “iconic community leader” and “great” family man.
“Jaybhai leaves this world with all the love from all who were blessed to share his life. Words are inadequate to salute Jaybhai,” said Maharaj.
“He was a sincere servant of the people, a go-to man par excellence. He served humanity with rare distinction. He was highly principled, ego-free, with integrity and morality.
“I knew him for almost half a century. He was a highly respected founding member of the South African Hindu Dharma Sabha. Since 1981 he successfully led the battle for fireworks for Diwali,” he said.
Maharaj said when Newlands West was being developed, they worked until 3am to formulate a comprehensive memorandum to the city council ensuring Hindus received a fair share of worship sites affordably.
These opulent temples were a living monument to Bachu’s dedicated and dynamic, efficient and effective leadership, he said.
“Jaybhai always championed community issues. He was visible and active during disasters. His astuteness led, inter alia, to the upgrading of Mountbatten Drive and a clinic in Reservoir Hills,” Maharaj said.
Bachu was cremated on Saturday.
Son Umesh said his father died less than a week after he was admitted to hospital after an antibiotics course failed to address what seemed to be a flu infection.
“Unfortunately, on Friday evening I received a call from the hospital to say he had taken a turn for the worse. They said two family members could go to the hospital, but by the time I got to the hospital my dad had passed on,” he said.
Umesh said Bachu was not at the stage where he was on a ventilator.
Bachu leaves his wife, Renuka, children Vinod, Umesh, Reshma Harinarain and Rinku Singh, and a number of grandchildren.