It is a great honour and privilege for me to give this eulogy to our dear departed friend and colleague, Matthew Moonieya, whom I knew and worked with for the past seven years.

Matthew was employed in 1999 by the previous East London TLC as the communication adviser to the then executive mayor, Lulamile Nazo. In January 2001, the then executive mayor, Sindisile Maclean, appointed Matthew as a communication and management consultant in his office. Later, in October 2001, Maclean promoted Matthew to a strategic adviser in his office.

From there Matthew was headhunted by the national government as the communications adviser to the minister of public safety. In his exit interview, one of the comments Matthew made was:

"In this regard he believed there was no proper interface between the admin-political leadership and believed that a director-level post could correct the situation. He explained further to indicate that in his view, this director would handle policy oversight and interface with administrative issues in order to inform, advise and brief the mayor regarding these issues. He stated that he believed this would strengthen the political-admin interface and would enhance the institution at practical and management level."

Matthew did not spend much time in the ministry before he was again recruited by Maclean as a director in his office.

The current executive mayor, Ntombentle Peter, saw the value in Matthew and his ability to manage her office and communication strategy, and made the wise decision of renewing his contract. Unfortunately, during our recent visit to Sweden, Matthew unexpectedly passed away.

The standing of a director in the executive mayor's office was seldom understood and unfortunately Matthew's contribution perhaps was underscored. He was a dedicated employee and colleague. He had very good interpersonal skills and used his journalistic skills to interpret and question many strategic decisions that were to be made, always adding value at the end of the day.

Matthew also had a fun side to him, which was particularly apparent when you accompanied him on overseas tours. He would always invite the group to have a couple of beers and then encourage dialogue on a particular issue. Matthew spent many hours speaking to me on his cellphone, to the extent that his family referred to me as Mr Nokia. Of course, he would call me and make sure that within the next minute I would have to phone him back – and then I would have to foot the bill.

Matthew was quite a perceptive fellow who was passionate about Buffalo City, compassionate to his fellow workers and a steadfast family man. He was dedicated to his family and my last hours with him in Sweden were spent looking for something he could take home to his family. His family remained in his mind until the last moment.

To Matthew's family and friends, I wish to express the City's deep regret at the loss of a husband, a father, a family member and a friend. I wish to quote the following from author A Sachs:

"Death is more universal than life; everyone dies but not everyone lives."

Matthew lived his life for his family and friends and showed enthusiasm and dedication to his work as adviser and director in the Executive Mayor's Office.

To Matthew I offer the following blessing:

"May the road rise up to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
May the rain fall soft upon your fields –
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand."

God bless your family and provide strength to them in these trying times. From all your colleagues at Buffalo City