Eusebius McKaiser, 45, was an intellectual rock star, says Arena Holdings MD for news and media Pule Molebeledi.

“I am gutted. We have lost an analyst extraordinaire. This is a major blow for the company, not only TimesLIVE for which he contributed his solid analysis of our politics, economy, race relations and life as we know it. We had many plans which involved the use of his varied skills. And now, this. Yes, death will happen to us all, but we had hoped we would be able to continue working with him for much longer,” said Molebeledi, noting McKaiser was an intellectual whose views were sought by platforms like CNN and think-tank Foreign Policy.

Arena chair Tshepo Mahloele said: “Eusebius made an invaluable contribution to our company, our country and the continent. His contribution to the nation will be greatly missed. May his soul rest in eternal peace.” 

TimesLIVE editor Makhudu Sefara, who managed Arena’s relationship with McKaiser, said he was devastated by the news. “Eusebius provided the sort of thought leadership our platform and our country needed. He was lucid, erudite and his synthesis of the issues much deeper than what we see elsewhere,” said Sefara, who worked with McKaiser from 2013 when he was still editor of The Star newspaper.

Sefara had tried to recruit McKaiser to work with him while at Sunday World only to discover two months later after joining TimesLIVE that Molebeledi had also started a conversation that led to McKaiser joining Arena.

“As I arrived at TimesLIVE, Molebeledi wanted to introduce me to Eusebius. That meeting quickly morphed to an operational session about how frequently we get what, and how to use him on our different platforms. As expected, McKaiser delivered top-drawer analysis of issues in our country and beyond. We happily used his well-written text, audio and had planned to develop short videos with him when he passed on,” said Sefara.

Sunday Times editor S'thembiso Msomi said it was a great loss. “Our thoughts are, at this hour, with his family and friends and understand that his death will affect many differently. May his soul rest in peace,” said Msomi.

At the time of his passing, TimesLIVE had just published what is now his last podcast for the news site. “He literally recorded this offering the night before his death. He liaised with our audio producer Bulelani Nonyukela in the morning. Hours after publication, we got the news of his demise,” said Sefara. 

McKaiser's manager, Jackie Strydom, confirmed to TimesLIVE earlier on Tuesday that he had suffered a suspected epileptic seizure.

“I am so distraught. I can't believe this.”

McKaiser, who was a regular contributor to TimesLIVE, was born in Makhanda to a family of little means. He first enrolled at Rhodes University in 1997 to study towards a BA in law and philosophy. An honours and then a masters in philosophy, both with distinction, followed before he was selected on a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University.

His biography on the Rhodes University website said McKaiser was a political activist and an associate political and social analyst at the Wits Centre for Ethics, where he participated in research that examined the relationship between civil society and the state in the policy arena, particularly in the light of the changing post-Polokwane political landscape.

“As a political activist, what matters to him is getting to grips with the social and political topics that impact on our lives, and making people sit up and take notice of this,” the university said.

“His activism is something that defines his life, and he writes widely in the local and international press and has a particular interest in questions of identity and their policy implications.

“His media contributions have appeared in the New York Times, Business Day, Mail & Guardian, Sunday Times, Sunday Independent, City Press, Newsweek International, BBC Focus on Africa, The New Republic, Financial Mail, and Destiny Man, among others. He has also hosted a weekly politics and morality talk show on Talk Radio 702, the Talk at Nine Show, and he presented on Interface on SABC3.”

The university said in his free time he was a top international debate coach, MC and public speaker, having been former national South African debate champion and the 2011 World Masters debate champion. He also coached school pupils, tertiary students and corporate executives on how to communicate effectively, analytically and improve their public speaking in South Africa, Europe and the Middle East.

Previously, he was an associate at leading international management consulting firm McKinsey and Company. He worked in areas ranging from climate change to organisation and operational efficiency studies in state-owned enterprises. He also helped to develop a firm perspective on global demand forecasts for certain commodities. He regularly briefed corporate clients, including investment houses, on political risk assessments of the South African political environment.

The university said McKaiser was community-driven and provided a living example of victory over racism and homophobia.

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