Cape Town – Tributes have been pouring in for the Stellenbosch University (SU) council chairperson and African Rainbow Capital executive, Ainsley Moos, who has died at the age of 45.
As reported by News24, family spokesperson, Gail Strauss, confirmed that Moos had died during a minor medical procedure on Tuesday.
“The family can confirm that their beloved husband, father, brother, uncle and son, Ainsley Moos, died suddenly and unexpectedly [on Tuesday] evening of complications following an anaesthetic for a minor procedure to his mouth at a day clinic in Stellenbosch,” said Strauss.
Moos served on the council since 2014 and was, among others, chair of the council’s remuneration committee and a member of the executive committee and the human resources committee. He was elected deputy chairperson in 2018 and started his term as chair on 3 December 2021.
Moos held several positions at Media24 during his career, including as a journalist at Beeld, editor of Landbouweekblad, editor-in-chief of Volksblad, and editor and publisher of Sake24.
He later moved to Sanlam before joining the financial services firm African Rainbow Capital in 2018.
According to Prof Wim de Villiers, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of Stellenbosch University (SU), Moos was an alumnus of Stellenbosch University, having earned his undergraduate and honours degrees, as well as an MBA there in 2009.
“Not only has the university lost an extremely talented council chairperson, but a valued and loyal friend of the university.
“This is obviously a huge shock to the community and it comes, to say the least, at a time when the university has depended heavily on his management expertise and his proven experience as a communications specialist, but also in terms of his skills as manager of stakeholder relations in the corporate world.
“His support to me personally was inspirational. Matieland has indeed lost a great friend. His family and loved ones are in our thoughts at this sad time,” De Villiers said.
Deputy Chair of Council, Dr Nicky Newton-King said: “Ainsley was passionate about Stellenbosch University and the role the University, its staff and students should play, both in the country and on the global stage and he worked hard to share this vision.
“His humility and calm leadership stood the Council in good stead as it dealt with a series of critical challenges in the past year. The University has been so lucky to have counted Ainsley among its leaders at this crucial time in its history.”
Meanwhile, a former colleague of Moos and chairman of the Cape Forum, Heindrich Wyngaard said on facebook that Moos was the principled, super intelligent son of a family “whose door was always open to me at Oudtshoorn”.
“He leaves a big void in the SA corporate and academic world.
“He was the personification of the very best that Afrikaans speaking, brown, rural communities can deliver, provided the children of such communities get the opportunities.
“Humble and dedicated, Ainsley made his pioneering career in journalism, among other things, later with Dr. Johan van Zyl at Sanlam and most recently taken on as senior board member at Patrice Motsepe’s African Rainbow Capital; also as new chairman of the University of Stellenbosch’s board during the last year's turbulence on campus.”
Wyngaard said further, “We can learn from his legacy; in his absence we must make other children with his background believe that they too are called for at such a time as this.”
IOL