Emil Katona 

[DOB 01/04/1940 DOD 09/11/1998]

The following text was read at the Memorial Service:

"Emil Katona was born in Hungary on April 1 1940. He was the only child of his father, a chemical engineer and his mother, a secretary. He had a difficult childhood during the troublesome years in Hungary during the 1950's. At secondary school he studied music, majoring in classical clarinet and piano. He continued with his musical studies at the conservatory, but later preferred to play jazz and taught himself to play the saxophone and the flute. He also obtained a certificate as an instrument mechanic. Playing and listening to music remained his greatest passions throughout his life.

He studied at the University of Economics in Budapest where he graduated in Transport Economics. Emil was a brilliant scholar, always performing exceedingly well. His superlative accomplishments earned him the "People's Republic Scholarship" the highest award for student performance in Hungary. His PhD degree was on Development Economics and he earned a C.Sc - Candidate of Sciences with Honours in Economics at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Emil took great pride in his accomplishments because to him it signified that he had conquered his past "Per Aspera Ad Astera."

Besides his native Hungarian he obtained first grade qualifications in German and Russian languages and started to learn English after he finished his University studies. He worked in the Ministry of Planning, Ministry of Transport and Communications and in the Institute of Cultural Relations in Budapest. He taught at many universities in Hungary and Africa before he came to the University of Zululand in 1993. At the university of Zululand he had to restructure the Department of Economics -a task that he successfully accomplished. The University and the Faculty of Commerce and Administration in particular has lost a highly valued colleague.

Emil was a very cultured, widely read, friendly person. He was not a great socialiser; rather a loner who preferred to live a reserved quiet family life. He was a principled man and I can hear him laugh now when I say that if in a situation where his principles were challenged, he would not have gone out of his way to avoid a conflict. Emil had a pleasant sense of humour and we shared many good laughs. But he was a friendly man and many of us already miss his greeting us with a 'good morning my dear friend'. His family describes him as a gentle and good man - a loving father and husband.

Emil was very enthusiastic about his hobbies. When I wanted to buy a camera I asked for his opinion and he said to me, Krynauw, on that topic I am a walking encyclopaedia." I later discovered that this was not the only topic on which he was a walking encyclopaedia. He was an ardent reader of many books on topics such as astronomy, photography, fishing, sailing, gardening and cooking.

Emil treasured his family life and personal space above everything else. He relished with great enjoyment and pride every accomplishment of his daughter. It is indeed sad that he can no longer continue walking this road with them. But in their minds he will always be there encouraging them to live how he would like them to do.

Emil will be missed very sadly by his wife Tanya and his daughter Agnes, his parents in law, his friends Gertrude and Feri, his few relatives and ex-colleagues in Budapest and other countries of the world where people knew and respected him. He will also be missed in Empangeni by those who knew the Prof and by the community of the University of Zululand.

Symbolically it makes sense to me that the body of this man is not lowered into a grave. As a young man he climbed to the top of Kilimanjaro - it is to those heights that I can imagine the winds will take his ashes."
Rest in peace dear Emil

Hamba Kahle

[Compiled by Tánya Katona and Krynauw du Toit.

Date of Last Update

08/07/2007