Those who knew Gerald wouldn’t have been surprised to know that his all-time favourite movie was the 1997 Italian comedy-drama Life is Beautiful. The physical differences to Roberto Benigni aside, finding humour in the face of personal tragedy and adversity could easily have been the theme for the life of one of Daily Maverick’s most loved characters.

Gerald was born and raised in Upington before moving to Cape Town to study architecture at UCT until his family could no longer afford the tuition. But that couldn’t keep the good man down, working his way through the hospitality ranks until he hit his stride in media sales and account management for Highbury Safika Media and Spintelligent, before joining Daily Maverick in January 2017.

Gerald was fluent in German and Social Butterfly-ese, building personal and professional relationships with the many, many people he encountered on his work trips, holiday travels and his jazz performances. He had a love of the arts that was as big as his voice.

(Photo: Facebook)

Many regulars at the Alexander Bar and Theatre in Cape Town will have their favourite Gerald story — to go along with their favourite Gerald hat. The man had a flair for style, donning a waistcoat for our first meeting at the Red Sofa cafe in Vredehoek and those times he wanted to make a special impression with clients. His personal style carried beyond his dress sense — it showed in the food he ate, the wine he drank and even the way he smoked his cigarettes.  

But he was no snob. He had time for all his friends and colleagues and supported even the most difficult, but important causes. Which is probably why he was drawn to working with us at Daily Maverick. He was handed a monumental task to generate revenue in a declining news media industry, dominated by Silicon Valley giants and much larger incumbents. Through all the tough times and dry spells he just got on with it, revelled in working with his colleagues for the cause and never once complained — unless it was about systemic racism or the treatment of the poor and homeless in Cape Town. About that he was quite vocal.

Gerald had a presence that had nothing to do with his physical size and everything to do with the size of his soul. His capacity for compassion was only surpassed by his enormous intellect. He was passionate about business and that passion was contagious to those fortunate enough to find themselves as a participant in a conversation with him.

(Photos: Facebook)

But to talk of Gerald and not mention his personal struggles would be a disservice to his values and others who carry their own version of his pain. To not mention them as part of his story would only justify the shame it didn’t deserve. He was beset by physical and mental health issues that rollercoastered in the years we got to know him, made worse by a crippling fall that severely damaged his back and his gees.

As friends and colleagues, we tried to support the big man with an even bigger laugh. That wicked sense of humour was still present even in the darkest times — but seen increasingly less in person and more on the phone as the desire to isolate grew stronger.

His story is one that is familiar to many who know of deep internal struggles that he needed to escape from; his getaway vehicle of choice was food. Lockdown was the perfect foil for someone retreating into seclusion, denying him the doses of exercise and physical connection he needed to keep out the shadows.

(Photo: Facebook)

We’ll wrangle with ourselves whether our nudges were enough, or whether a more direct intervention would have made a difference. The lines between employers, colleagues and friends that felt restrictive then seem embarrassingly so now. We won’t make the same mistake again and as a society, we still have far to go in how we deal with the mental health hurdles of our friends and colleagues.

Covid-19 may not have taken Gerald directly, nor is it responsible for his extremely vulnerable situation going into lockdown. But these past three months certainly closed in on him and squeezed out his last traces of serenity and the life from his lungs and heart.

Gerald is survived by his mother, father, four brothers, four sisters and his extended family here at Daily Maverick.

We will miss you and your presence, dearest Gerald. You sweet soul, may your next performance be free of your chains. DM