Home

Cricket fraternity pays tribute to Kotie Grove

Kotie Grove started his career in cricket reporting in 1976.
Reading Time: 2 minutes

Family, friends and the cricket fraternity have paid their last respects to veteran Afrikaans cricket commentator Kotie Grove at a memorial services in Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth.

Grove passed away at the age of 71, having lost his battle with cancer.

Grove started his career in cricket reporting in 1976 when he joined the SABC’s commentary team as a scorer.

A year later he was behind the microphone as an SABC radio commentator in match between Eastern Province and Natal at St George’s Park.

He joined the SuperSport commentary team in 1994, becoming an institution in the Afrikaans commentary team even coining his own cricketing terms.

SuperSport commentator Shafiek Abrahams says: “When I stopped playing he was the first to say come and do Afrikaans commentary which was strange to me but he mentored and coached us, he was one of the pioneers in Afrikaans commentary, he developed the language around cricket in Afrikaans. It’s an honour to continue and whenever we say the words he introduced, whenever we say that it will remind us of Kotie for his positive influence.”

Prof Kotie as he was affectionately known was also a friend and mentor, touching the lives of many more people as a professor of classical studies and an administrator at the Nelson Mandela University for more than 40 years.

Driven by his belief that everyone is equal, he was instrumental in working towards transformation.

Colleague Johan Van Der Watt says: “He had a soft manner when working with people, it was humanitarian and it shows respect. He could pull any person into a conversation and make them feel comfortable, he was really someone special that we must treasure.”

Click video below:

Author

MOST READ