John will be sadly missed

Date: 26 July 2018 By: Andries van Zyl

The Moths Turbi Hills Shellhole in Louis Trichardt said a sad farewell to one of its members, Mr John Tilma, who passed away at his home om 20 July at the age of 71.

“John bravely fought cancer for quite a while now, but in the end it was that which overcame him,” reads the message of John's passing on the Moths' WhatsApp group.

John was born on 11 June 1947 in Pretoria and was adopted by Sjoerd en “Peggy” Tilma when he was six months old and taken to Fort Victoria in the then Rhodesia. In later years, John established himself as one of the Masvingo Province’s most outstanding farmers and dedicated a huge amount of his time to assist the community regarding various aspects. He also spent a couple of years serving the Masvingo Farmers’ Association, which was greatly appreciated by all, especially at the very difficult time of equipment theft and farm invasions. “He was always a fighter and never gave up,” remember his friends.

John was also an active member of the Moths in Masvingo and later in South Africa where members of the armed forces were cared for in remembrance of those who had made the supreme sacrifice for their countries.

John and wife Yvonne successfully ran Fomax Dairy on Victoria Ranch outside Masvingo, They also ran a mixed farm, catering for a lot of the fresh produce demanded on the Masvingo market. John realised his property was in a strategic spot, so he was busy with a subdivision of residential stands to augment his pension. Sadly, the property and all of his equipment were expropriated, and he was left with virtually nothing. “Somebody else has now benefited from the sale of the stands. Because no compensation was paid, he and his family had to leave for South Africa to seek better fortunes and support from the State,” reads the WhatsApp entry.

John will be sadly missed by so many as he left an indelible mark in Masvingo and beyond that will never be forgotten.

“Our most sincere condolences to Yvonne and the family who had been so patiently and lovingly caring for John throughout his long illness. May the good Lord be with them all during this difficult time,” was the message from the Moths.

A funeral service for John will be held at the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Grobler Street, Louis Trichardt, on Friday, 27 July, at 10:30 for 11:00. He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Yvonne, their children Steve and family, Michelle, Clint and family, Shana and family, sister Mary and family and a multitude of other family and friends.

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Andries van Zyl

Andries joined the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror in April 1993 as a darkroom assistant. Within a couple of months he moved over to the production side of the newspaper and eventually doubled as a reporter. In 1995 he left the newspaper group and travelled overseas for a couple of months. In 1996, Andries rejoined the Zoutpansberger as a reporter. In August 2002, he was appointed as News Editor of the Zoutpansberger, a position he holds until today.

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