By Velani Ludidi 
Jun 29, 2021
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Velani Ludidi
Cape Town – Tributes continue pouring in for activist Mike Heyns, who died on Monday morning.
The 59-year-old father of two had been battling terminal lung disease since 2006, and was admitted to hospital on Thursday before his death.
Heyns is the co-founder of the activist group Stop City of Cape Town (Stop Coct), which raised important questions about the affairs of the municipality and held it accountable on issues that mostly included budget plans and rates.
“It is with a kaleidoscope of emotion that I bid farewell to my trusted co-activist, friend and confidant. Without asking for anything or ever complaining about his difficult health condition, Mike was always available to reply to and assist anyone who was in need of information or help with Metro City of Cape Town issues. In doing this Mike was my rock,” said Sandra Dickson, Heyns’s friend and the co-founder of the group.
“The many phone calls, reams of WhatsApp messages, and emails are now silent. Mike was fearless and never did anything to appease anyone to score points. His analysis was always open, accurate, detailed and focused to get improvement on the hardships so many endured.
“The hundreds of messages left by members of Stop Coct in response to his death stand as a solid testimony to a man whose life was used to the full to better the lives of others through his sharp mind, diligence, dedication and extraordinary skills. Mike’s work includes a campaign against the drought charge in early 2018 that gathered 62 000 comments from the public and was discussed in council. The City then dropped the drought charge and instituted the water levy.
“We also believe that due to Mike’s diligent analysis of the City’s financials, it was kept in check when it did its annual tariff increases,” said Dickson.
Heyns’s daughter, Yolandi Bothma, said it was difficult to put into words the feelings they had towards such a beautiful soul.
“We always knew what he was doing for the city, but only realised how much it meant when we saw all the messages pouring in. To call him a hero is an understatement. He was always helpful in every way, starting with the army, becoming a husband, father of two and grandfather of four. He started many companies and was a huge success; he had the knowledge that some of us only dream of. After he got ill in 2006, he was unable to go out and see the world, so he put his efforts into helping people by other means.”
Goodwood Ratepayers’ Residents’ Association chairperson Faysal Petersen described Heyns as a brilliant mind who had every resident on his mind whenever he questioned the municipality.
“He was a person who asked the questions on the mind of many City ratepayers, and he was not shy to be bold in his approach. He was a very helpful person towards anyone who reached out to him looking for guidance and advice, and I can state that in recent years I was able to touch base with him to get his input and guidance on matters that we dealt with as a community structure. We are poorer as a city for his loss, a man who ensured he kept the City of Cape Town transparent and accountable.”
Details of his funeral have not yet been released.