Pine Pienaar a fearless pursuer of the truth

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MALCOM X wrote: "I want to be remembered as someone who was sincere. Even if I made mistakes, they were made in sincerity. If I was wrong, I was wrong in sincerity. I can deal with a person who is wrong, as long as he is sincere."

If Pine Pienaar was in our midst today, it is my conviction that this is what he would ask to be remembered for.

Pine built a reputation as a fearless pursuer of uncomfortable truths as a public representative and pursued such uncomfortable truths till the end. Evidence of this trait to uncover the truth and bring forth the facts, led to eight senior officials from the department of health being suspended, thanks to a number of legislature questions to the MEC for health by this man, Pine Pienaar MPL.

I was filled with great sadness and shock when I learnt of the passing of a great colleague, opposition leader and a fearless pursuer of the truth. His sudden demise must have come as a shock to friend and foe, colleagues and comrades within the ranks of the Democratic Alliance.

He was a true gentleman and an intellectual politician, when it came to his profession. He distinguished himself as a thorough leader and brought exceptional interpretation to the rules of the House in the Assembly. In this environment, he will be sorely missed. He had a perfect understanding of the art of logic and reasoning correctly. He had a unique passion and commitment to ensure effective and efficient spending of government funds and assured that issues of this nature were vigorously debated in parliament and the portfolios he served in.

His passing will leave an enormous void in the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature.

I will be doing an injustice if I fail to note again, that he was a man known to me to have the tenacity to tackle issues left alone by some and to see them through till the end.

And for that I salute the politician, the leader and the man, Pine Pienaar MPL.

I wish to convey my deepest condolences to his wife, two children and the Pienaar family as a whole. I want to thank them graciously for all the sacrifices they made so that their husband, father and son could serve the people of the Eastern Cape. Let us remember him for his sincerity.

Hamba kahle, colleague.