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A MESSAGE OF HOPE FROM A BROKEN HEART
By Sharon Salmon
On Thursday 17 October Marie Swanepoel was buried in Steynburg, Eastern Cape. Since her daughter, Tessa Beetge's arrest in Sao Paulo in 2008 Swanepoel has been campaigning fearlessly and tirelessly for her daughter's release.
Beetge was arrested on charges of carrying more than 10kgs of cocaine in her luggage and is being held in the Penitenciaria Feminina da Capital prison. She is 'absolutely inconsolable and devastated' at the news of her mother's death.
The message from Tessa Beetge to her mother was read out by her sister, Zelda Smit at the funeral service which was held the Marais Steyn Old Age Home.
Beetge said; 'Thank you for being my Mom, thank you for your everlasting love and support. Thank you for always being there. Thank you for being my pillar of strength. Thank you for your commitment and strength you have given us and thank you for everything. I will miss you but will remember what you stood for and know that God had a special plan for you. Nikita, Roxanne and I love you Mommy and Oumie always. You are always in our hearts and soul forever'.
Margie Olsen, Swanepoel's sister is the spokesperson for the family. She will be continuing the fight to have Tessa Beetge released early. Marie Swanepoel had gathered evidence which lead to the sentencing of Sheryl Cwele, ex-wife of Sate Security Minister, Siyabonga Cwele.
Frank Nabolisa, a Nigerian, was sentenced with Cwele for 12 years. The Brazillian judiciary had indicated that they would consider Beetge's sentence being further reduced if Cwele and Nabolisa served lengthy jail terms.
Swanepoel died before she could see her daughter come home. At the funeral, Olsen said; 'Marie I promise you I will finish your story. Today we are celebrating Marie's life. Marie was a quiet, gentle and unassuming person yet she had more strength than all of us put together'.
Olsen further said that Marie lived in the hope of seeing 'Tessie' again. She said that Marie suffered so much but she never considered giving up.
Swanepoel had also gone through a divorce from her husband Swanee in the last year. She had been living in Steynsburg in a house Olsen had bought her. Originally Swanepoel was only allowed to speak to her daughter twice a year, on her birthday on the 9 May and at Christmas.
In the last year those privileges were removed when she moved to Steynsburg. Tessa's two daughters, Nikita and Roxanne live with their father who got custody of the girls after her arrest. Tessa had been divorced from their father for a number of years.The girls have only spoken to their mother once in the last 5 years. The two teenagers were distressed and visibly very upset at the passing of their grandmother. They live in hope in seeing their mother, Tessa soon.
Speaking to Beetge's sisters, Brenda and Zelda Smit, who had flown from Australia to attend their mother's funeral, they said they were devastated at the passing of their mother. They were greeted with the news at the Frere Hospital in East London on their arrival. They've not spoken to their sister in the last 5 years. Zelda and her family have been in Australia for the last eight and a half years, while Brenda and her family have been living there for 5 years. The sisters are married to brothers and have a close bond. 'We cannot wait to see our sister, Tessa, again'; they said.
Marie Swanepoel's parents are still alive and were over-wrought at her death. Jannie and Isabel Hoffman are originally from Zimbabwe, having settled in Steynsburg in the Eastern Cape where Margie Olsen has been looking after them. Jannie Hoffman has cancer.
Speaking to some of the locals it was evident that Marie Swanepoel was very well liked. Some of the locals didn't realise who she was until she had passed away and media reports revealed Swanepoel's fight.
Swanepoel had turned 61 on 11 September. Olsen said her sister had been 'frail the past year, which was understandable after all she had been through, however she was full of hope'. Olsen said the family would never forgive Sheryl Cwele. She said; 'if Tessa had never met that woman and Marie had not been forced to endure such terrible suffering, she would still be with us today. However, we promise to take Marie's message and story further and we will not give up hope of having Tessie being released soon and to come home to our family'.
