Pamela Rubushe was the sort of public servant who made Batho Pele real.
Sis Pamela served the people of Nelson Mandela Bay and the Eastern Cape with unwavering commitment and conviction.
She carried a special love for children.
As a social worker, she never hesitated to go the extra mile for the welfare of children and survivors of GBV.
I still recall her midnight calls whenever a baby was in crisis — she would mobilise everyone in the best interests of the victim or patient.
Sis Pamela resolved countless cases of rape, abandoned infants, and baby swapping in hospitals.
She had a golden heart that never tired of serving her people.
Humanity has lost a true servant.
Even beyond retirement, she worked tirelessly.
She remained in the trenches, solving difficult cases.
Through sheer conviction she helped police crack some of the hardest cases of child trafficking and theft.
Her scientific reports secured convictions of perpetrators who preyed on children.
Her death came as a shock.
I refuse to let her go when her passion to serve was still so strong.
My only hope is that the social workers who follow her will take up her mantle.
SA is beset by deep social ills.
The drug abuse crisis has overwhelmed health services, forcing policy shifts in mental health care to manage the flood of users needing 72-hour observations.
Sis Pamela departs at a critical moment when our communities and the state desperately need new innovations.
I admired her capacity to serve.
She stayed close to my heart because she loved her community and served her country without reservation.
SA has lost someone truly rare.
I am still in shock and struggling to accept her passing.
Yet even in denial, I am certain Sis Pamela leaves behind others like her — social workers who still live the Batho Pele principle of putting people first.
Sis Pamela despised corruption and had no time for laziness.
She never complained about lack of resources.
She used whatever limited means she had to deliver quality service.
She was solution-driven.
She brought answers, not complaints.
In my 24 years in public service, I often met colleagues aggrieved by unpaid benefits, stagnant promotions, or underpayment.
Sis Pamela never complained.
She prioritised the core business of why we exist in public service.
She did not gossip or tear down colleagues. She built.
To her family and former colleagues, my deepest condolences.
Salute, Sis Pamela. You served your people.
Rest well.
Sizwe Kupelo, provincial health spokesperson, writing in his personal capacity
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