Covid Claims Schools Coach

Faizel Adam, a schoolmaster and the coach to schoolboy teams in the Western Province, died at the age of 50 on Wednesday 12 June 2020, his birthday. An asthma sufferer, he contracted the dreaded Covid-9 disease and was in intensive care at Mediclinic Cape Gate in Brackenfell for five weeks before his much mourned death. He was diagnosed with Covid-9 on 9 May 2020.

At the time of his death, Adam was teaching at Florida High School in Ravensmead, not far from Tygerberg Rugby Club where he coached at one stage. But it was as a schools coach that he achieved great success.

In 2013, he became the coach of the Western Province Under-16 at the Grant Khomo Week when Western province won all three matches, beating the Blue Bulls 22-15 in the prestigious final match. The next year he was the assistant coach to the Western Province Academy Week side, which also won all three of its matches, beating KwaZulu-Natal 38-7 in the final.

Onwards and upwards Adam went, first as assistant coach of the Western Province Craven Week side for three years before becoming coach of the Craven Week side in 2018 and 2019. In 2015, Western Province won all three, beating Eastern Province by a whopping 95-0 in the final match and they were again unbeaten in 2016, winning the final 27-20 against the Golden Lions. The only hiccup was in 2017 when Western Province won one, drew one and lost one, but Adam was nonetheless promoted as head coach for the Western Province Craven Week side for unbeaten Weeks in 2018, when they beat the Sharks 47-8 in the final match, and 2019 when the beat the Blue Bulls 56-31 in the final match.

Apart from teaching life science at Florida High Adam coached at Fairmont High School for two years and then, since 2018, at Durbanville High School. because of coronavirus and COVID-19, there was just one round of matches in 2020 before his death.

Adam was highly regarded in the Western Province both as a coach and as a man. At the news of his death, the president of the Western Province Rugby Union, Zelt Marais, said: "Faizel Adam’s impact on the rugby community has been immense and his loss will be mourned by all who came into contact with him.

“We have lost a truly inspirational rugby man, who has made such a positive impact in the lives of everyone he knew, a selfless man."

Faizel Adam is survived by his wife Johan, a daughter aged nine and a son aged six.