The good doctor of Merebank, Dr PN Govender, south of Durban, has passed away at the ripe old age of 95.
Dr Perisamy Neelapithambaran Govender breathed his last on Saturday after suffering from age-related illness for a few months. His funeral took place on Sunday.
Even after celebrating his 90th birthday, family physician Dr Govender worked a full day at his practice and drove himself to his Silverglen home at 6pm each evening. He only retired atthe age of 93 when he became hard of hearing.
Dr Govender was born on October 7, 1929, into the fishing community of Fynnland at Durban’s Bluff. His father Sabapathy Periyasamy Govender who arrived in Durban from India in 1898 was a seine netter and boat builder.
Sabapathy Periyasamy became a hero when he was one of the famous Padavatan Six. On October 28, 1917 more than 400 market gardeners from the Springfield Flats (Tintown) area in Durban drowned when the banks of the Umgeni burst after heavy rains. The death toll would have been much higher if it were not for the bravery of six seine-netters who saved 176 people from drowning.
The fishermen made five trips into the raging river in an oar-driven banana boat that they used for their everyday fishing. The rescuers became known as the Padavatan Six; named after their captain, Mariemuthoo Padavatan. The rescue effort of the Padavatan Six is considered as one of the largest civilian acts of bravery in South Africa.
Dr Govender wrote in the book Legend of the Tide that he co-authored with Viroshen Chetty: “My father, Sabapathy, recounted the rescue mission with indescribable sadness. He remembered a family perched on a precarious rooftop. Even before they could reach this family, the young mother with her child clutched tight in her arms, slid off the roof with a heart-rending shriek. She and the child disappeared under the swirling waters and were swept away in the strong current.
“My father also recounted the story of a couple with a brood of hens, roosters and a bewildered goat on a rapidly sinking thatched roof, when they spotted the rescue operation, the man stood up praying and beseeching for help. The woman stretched out her hands, offering her precious gold malai (Hindu bridal necklace) as a reward for rescue but, before they reached them, the entire roof collapsed in the swirling torrent and the couple, poultry and goat sank beneath the surging waters. Their heads bobbed briefly and disappeared without a trace.”
Dr Govender graduated with an MBChB from the then University of Natal Medical School (now University of KwaZulu-Natal) in 1964. He worked in the Discipline of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at King Edward VIII Hospital and in 1967 he was dismissed for leading a protest against racially disparate salary scales. He subsequently commenced practice as a family practitioner.
In 1968 he walked out of the Medical Association of South Africa and helped form the National Medical and Dental Association (NAMDA). He played a key role in facilitating NAMDA’s incorporation into the United Democratic Front whilst at the same time defending private doctors’ rights to dispense medication.
Dr Govender carried forward the spirit of courage and service of the Padavatan Six and his family values were deeply rooted in unity, compassion, and perseverance. His more than six years of service as a medical doctor is inspirational. He served a large community in Merebank, Austerville and Wentworth with dedication and compassion and was deeply respected by grandmothers for treating them, their children and their grandchildren with distinction.
He often reached out to the marginalized and needy, ensuring that healthcare was not a privilege but a right that was accessible to all.
In 2018, Dr Govender received the Transformation, Justice and Equity Human Resources Award from the South African Medical Association.
Her was a founder of the Durban South Doctors’ Guild and was instrumental in establishing the first private hospital in Chatsworth, Life Chatsmed Garden Hospital.
His service to humanity projects included setting up medical camps during the 1976 and 1987 floods. Dr Govender provided medical support at his own cost. He also hosted a medical camp for the victims of xenophobia at a refugee camp at the Chatsworth Westcliff sportsground at his own cost for 30 days, in 2015.
In 1998, Govender decided to be part of the unity movement in the SA Medical Association (SAMA) and played an active part in unifying the profession. He served on the Board of Directors of SAMA from 1998 to 2009 and was President of SAMA during 2003-2004. He led a march to Parliament in 2004 to complain about the parlous state of healthcare in the public sector and the lack of access to antiretroviral medication to treat HIV/Aids.
Despite the serious health risk it might pose to him, at the age of 92 Dr Govender courageously kept his medical practice open so that he could help others during the 21-day Covid national lockdown.
He said at that time: “I am bound by an oath and I religiously follow that oath because it spells out my professional life and my vocation. This is not the first time that doctors are called upon to serve during periods of crisis and I will respect that tradition.”
Dr Govender also helped establish the Chatsworth Hospice. Kogi Singh, former President of Chatsworth Hospice said: “He was truly a good man who never lost his humility or caring nature.”
In addition to serving as a healer, Dr Govender was a prolific author. Beyond the
Stethoscope, a medical book, was published in 2015, while Legends of the Tide – The Seine-netters, a book about the roots of the Durban fishing industry was published in 2010. Girrmit Tales was published in 2008 and is a collection of short stories about the Indian indenture experience in South Africa.
Dr Govender once attributed his longevity to his loving family, his job and hobbies, which included collecting model cars and African antiques, the upkeep of his Khoi pond and gardening.
Chetty who has published many books said working with Dr Govender on Legends of the Tide – The Seine-netters was most enjoyable.
“Dr Govender was a true gentleman and had many more stories to tell. He once told me ‘the fortunate ones go in their 80s – it’s not nice being the last man standing’.”
Dr Govender’s wife Vasagee and son Mahen passed away a few years ago. He is survived by three sons Daven, Theo and Vinay.