adminStrydom succumbed to heart failure at Mater Dei Hospital on 16 February.
A funeral service was held for him on Thursday at St Mary’s Cathedral before his body was cremated.
The new director of Home of Peace, Mr Clive Krienke, described Strydom as a person who had passion for human welfare and always sought to help the needy.
“He started feeding destitute people at the railway station 30 years ago. He sought for donations from well-wishers and used them to build Home of Peace 11 years ago,” said Mr Krienke.
“He had been running the place since then. Last year he suffered from heart attack but recovered. I then took over as director in September last year and he became a consultant. We worked harmoniously together until the time of his death on 16 February.”
Mr Krienke said he cherished the legacy left by Strydom by ensuring that his dream of taking care for the needy was fulfilled.
One of the oldest beneficiaries at the Home of Peace, Mr Gideon Muleya, said Strydom’s death was a sad loss to disadvantaged people of Bulawayo.
“I have been here since 2001 and we worked well with this man. It is sad that God has allowed him to pass away like this,” said Mr Muleya.
He said Strydom played a major role in ensuring that he and other inmates who included school-going children were cared for.
Strydom was a philanthropist who spearheaded the construction of the home using mostly his own resources.
Strydom developed an interest in taking care of the destitute after retiring from the army in 1980 as he used to take care of families of soldiers that had gone to war.
Strydom was one of the founder members of the Combined Churches Mobile Soup Kitchen, which was established in 1982.
The organisation was feeding destitute people at the Main Railway Station in Bulawayo every evening.
Strydom was born in Bulawayo and did his primary education at Bellevue Junior School (now Greenfield Primary School) and his secondary education at Bulawayo
Technical High School (now Gifford High School).
He then joined the army in April 1962 where he was a member of the first battalion, The Rhodesia Light Infantry, until June 1965 when he was transferred to the army’s pay corps. He served in the army until his resignation in 1980.
It was during his time in the army’s pay corps that he started working for the community.
In 2002, Strydom received a Civic Honour Award for his philanthropic work from the Bulawayo City Council.
There are about 100 people staying at the centre who include the elderly and orphans.
His wife died two years ago. He is survived by a daughter Bernadine and a son, Shaun.
Online Reporter