Family, friends and comrades gathered in Arniston on Sunday 8 August 2021 to bid a final farewell to activist and leader Danny Europa who succumbed to Covid-19 at the beginning of the month.
52-year-old Europa was born in Arniston and has lived there all his life. He and his wife Rovina Marthinus have been key figures in the small-scale fisheries movement for close on two decades. Danny and Rovina have been together for 24 years.
Danny himself comes from a fishing family and has devoted much of his life to furthering the struggles of the fishers from Arniston and beyond. Rovina last week described him as a humble community person who was deeply religious and devoted his life to social justice.
Danny served as a ward councillor for several years, having been elected on an African National Congress ticket.
His work was not confined to the Arniston community alone but extended to the broader Cape Agulhas area where he was well known.
In his younger days, Danny was a respected player in the non-racial rugby fold.
Messages of condolences poured in from across the region and the country as news of his death spread last week.
Masifundise Development Trust and Coastal Links South Africa dips its banner in mourning and in salute to a dedicated fighter for equality and justice.
“Our deepest condolences go out to Rovina who was Danny’s partner in marriage and in the struggle to improve the lives of the broader community, including the fisherfolk,” said Naseegh Jaffer, Masifundise Director.