South Africa: Force Budget Planner within the Directorate of Corporate Staff Services passed away at his home. He died at the age of 47. The news of his passing was announced and confirmed by the Senior Staff Officer, Corporate Communication Officer, Colonel Marius Bosch; members who were with him the day before were even more devastated to hear about the tragic news, a tragedy that reminded them of the adage that says, “people live on borrowed time.
Major Vorster’s memorial service was held on 14 February 2023 in Sir Pierre Van Ryneveld Hall at the SA Air Force Headquarters, Pretoria. Friends, family and colleagues honoured and celebrated his life.
Directorate Corporate Staff Services Acting Director Corporate Staff Services Brigadier General Hilton Smith, who was in attendance, offered words of comfort to Major Vorster’s family, including his wife, Yvette and two daughters, Kayla and Arne, who came for the memorial service.
“André Vorster was part of our family, which makes you part of our family. Together we need to continue to cherish his life. He touched many lives in the SA Air Force in a special way that many will never forget. Andre had a way of making people around him happy. He was extremely work-orientated, and for that, he will forever be missed. All of us in the SA Air Force will always remember Major André Vorster,” said Brigadier General Smith.
The other colleague who paid tribute to him was Lieutenant Colonel James du Toit saying, “André was an outstanding Senior Officer, dedicated and a hard-working man, always assisting where he could. He ensured that the job got done. He was the kind of person you would take to war and definitely win that war. He has done a great job in our Directorate with the implementation of new systems and procedures to aid the administration in the running smoothly. Let his legacy lives on.”
Corporal Tidimalo Kola, who had an opportunity to work closely with Major Vorster, described him as an honest, dedicated, and hard-working man; who was never afraid to speak his mind. He further said Major Vorster never left the office without finishing his job, and he would go the extra mile to ensure that his work was up to date.
When Corporal Kola was asked what life lessons he learned from Major Vorster, he explained, “workplace integrity and the importance of considering people you work with, to be selfless and always be on time at all times either at work or home.”