It was a day filled with emotion as close friends and family members gathered at the Market Theatre in Newtown to honour the late Patrick Shai at his memorial service on Thursday.
The veteran actor died January 22.
Shai became a household name after appearing in numerous television series, including Generations, Mission Top Secret, Zero Tolerance, Hillside, Soul City and Yizo Yizo.
He also had an extensive feature film resume which included Cry, the Beloved Country and Critical Assignment, among others.
Some of the colleagues who had become family with the man they affectionately called “Bra Pat” or “Jita” took to the podium to share fond memories and express the pain his death had caused them.
Nambitha Mpumlwana
Veteran actress Nambitha, who had shared various production sets — including the original Generations wherein they became part of the famous “Generation 16" — with the late actor reflected on their friendship that grew over the years.
She said Patrick became her hero and her brother.
“I played Patrick's wife quite a few times and I played his friend in real life, he played my hero. He held up my pedestal, he allowed me to stand behind him when we had tough negations in productions. He was not afraid to be the target so that we can rise. He allowed us to stand tall on his shoulders ... he was my brother.”
