DA councillor and former editor of ‘The Citizen’ passed away on Saturday.
The Citizen’s former editor Martin Williams died on Saturday evening, aged 73.
Williams, who was managing editor of The Witness from 1992 to 1994 and the editor of The Citizen in several stints in his 19 years at the publication before retiring in 2013, was also the DA’s ward 90 councillor for 10 years.
Popular columnist
Trevor Stevens, editor of The Citizen, said: “Martin’s passing comes as a massive shock. He was a popular columnist for our readers. Wednesdays will never be the same without his columns.
“Even after many years of leaving as editor, his encouraging words at the top of his submitted column to the team each week was a breath of fresh air in a difficult industry. ‘Keep up the good work’, or ‘good lead story on Friday’, he’d say.
“Martin was a newspaper man through and through. He had a way with words and was the best poster writer I’ve had the pleasure of working with.
“When he retired, in his farewell speech, I remember him saying ‘it’s nothing short of a miracle how we bring out the paper every day’. He said if you counted all the words from all of the sections, we brought out a small novel daily – something he was immensely proud of,” said Stevens.
“He loved his sport, especially the Springboks and the Sharks, and was an avid runner. He will be missed. Our sincere condolences go out to his wife Alison and his family.”
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Ardent runner
Williams was an ardent runner, completing 23 Comrades Marathons between 1982 and 2012. He attained two silver, 17 bronze and four Vic Clapham medals. His best time was recorded in 1985, where he finished in 7hr 11min 13sec.
Williams was also a fan of the Two Oceans Marathon, also completing double digit finishes. In 2012 Williams took part in the Boston Marathon, finishing in a time of 3:58:20. At the time, he shared a picture to Facebook of him crossing the finish line adorned in a colourful proudly South African-flag running vest and matching shorts.
The DA said: “Whether in the newsroom or in council, Martin lived a life of service.
“Martin will be remembered as a man of integrity, principle and compassion. His death is a great loss to the city he loved so dearly.”
