Mr Wikus Lee (64), editor of the Limpopo Mirror for the past 30 years, passed away last week. He battled with a heart problem and was admitted to a Pretoria hospital a month ago. His situation, however, deteriorated and he died just before 19:00 on Wednesday, 9 September.

Mr Lee's funeral service was scheduled for 10:00 on Thursday, 17 September, at Pretoria East cemetery. A service will be held at 12:00 at the Reformed Church in Derdepoort, Pretoria. On Saturday, 19 September, a memorial service will take place at the Reformed Church in Louis Trichardt. The service will start at 10:00. People who wish to attend are asked to please confirm with the family, as the Covid-19 restrictions limit the number of people present.

Mr Lee has been the editor of the Mirror newspaper since it was started in September 1990. Prior to that, he worked at the SABC where he managed the Louis Trichardt news office.

He was a seasoned journalist and interacted closely with many of the current generation of local reporters. As editor of the Mirror, he provided guidance to dozens of reporters, young and old. He was highly respected for his knowledge and work ethic.

He is also a “son of the soil”, having been born in Musina in 1955 and spending his first school years at this border town. His father was Sarel Lee, who was a well-known history teacher. Wikus finished his high school career at Pietersburg High School, before going to Potchefstroom University, where he completed his honours degree in communication, with journalism as a specialist field.

He was introduced to the real-world basics of journalism in a newspaper environment when he joined the then Noord-Transvaler as a cub reporter. After working at this Polokwane-based newspaper for a couple of years, he moved to Louis Trichardt, where he started working for the SABC in February 1984. He was instrumental in growing the SABC’s radio listenership, heading up the regional news office.

Dewald Hatting, a colleague of his at the SABC, remembers him as a very dedicated journalist. “He provided guidance to many of the young journalists who started their careers at the SABC,” says Dewald. Dewald also remembers Wikus for his dry sense of humour, which made him a pleasant person to work with.

It was also in Louis Trichardt where Wikus met his wife, Annemarie. The couple were blessed with three sons, Hannes, Jan-Louis and Hardus. All three boys ended up studying theology and are currently serving as ministers of Reformed Church congregations in Musina, Brits and Pretoria. They have three grandchildren.

Anton van Zyl, the owner/manager of the Limpopo Mirror, says thinking of the Mirror newspaper without Wikus being present is almost impossible. “For more than 30 years he has been a colleague and a friend. For him, the newspaper was not simply a job, it was part of what made him what he was. His work was his passion and the Mirror newspaper was his pride. He was someone with an incredible general knowledge,” says Anton.

The Limpopo Mirror is regarded as one of the best independent community newspapers in the country and over the past three decades it has received numerous accolades for the standard of journalism and community involvement. The newspaper won Capro’s Newspaper of the Year award in 2004, was runner-up in the Sanlam-sponsored FCJ awards in the Best Independent Newspaper category in 2016 and in 2017 and its journalists and photographers regularly won literally dozens of prizes.

In 2005, the Mirror won an international award, when the World Association of Newspapers recognised it with a Young Reader Award. This prize was handed over during a function in Buenos Aires in Argentina.

“To produce one or two really good newspapers is not that difficult,” says Van Zyl. “The challenge is to consistently produce good papers, at least 50 times a year, and to do that for 30 years is some achievement,” he says. Van Zyl reckons that this was one of Mr Lee’s greatest strengths – his dedication and efforts to ensure that every week’s edition was a special edition.