Farewell to the pioneer black Bok
● It was a funeral fit for a king, complete with a police procession, a coffin draped in the South African flag and sprays of proteas.
The Rugby World Cup-winning team of 1995 were there too, to honour their fallen teammate. But the real heart of Chester Williams’s moving funeral at Newlands rugby stadium in Cape Town yesterday was the voice of his 15-yearold daughter, Chloe.
She broke down — and brought many of those in the grandstand to tears — when she spoke about her father, who died from a heart attack on Friday last week at the age of 49.
“My dad has given me the courage and strength to be standing here today,” she sobbed. “Dad, there are so many wishes right now but my only wish is that I could hug you and kiss you and tell you one last time how much I love you.”
Chloe, who was there with her twin brother Matthew, said her father had a smile that could brighten up a whole room. “My first 15 years will always be my best,” she said, unable to hold back her tears.
Her brothers said Williams was a coach in life as well as on the rugby field. Ryan, the eldest, said his role as a father included teaching his sons about respecting women.
“Many of us men in SA can do with that lesson today.”
Williams’s widow, Maria, said her late husband had been “the rock that we as a family could rely on”, calling him “the best father”.
Through the pain of imagining a future without him, she broke down in tears as she said: “I will bring our children up to the best of my ability as a single mom.”
Cabinet ministers Patricia de Lille and Nathi Mthethwa and Springbok legend Morné du Plessis, manager of the 1995 team, were among mourners who paid tribute to Williams, lauding him as a role model for a country in transition.