Remembering Llovellyn Matthews

Llovellyn Matthews (7 Nov 1996 - 14 Nov 2020) was the chairperson of the Codebridge Youth Cape Agulhas hub as well as the Cape Agulhas Youth Council from March 2019 to the time of his passing in November 2020. Described by the Manager for the Department Human Development in Cape Agulhas, Luzeth Smith, as an inspiration for the youth who thought of innovative ways to get the young people more involved to show active participation in youth events.

He turned his favourite phrase which was in response to the state of gender-based violence in the country, “‘real men wear pink” into a campaign that was executed by the Cape Agulhas Youth Council. The youth council’s t-shirts for 2019 were pink for males and blue for females to challenge gender stereotypes.

“Llovellyn was always busy helping people, and he could never, and I mean never, say no to people”, said the Cape Agulhas Youth Council chairperson that succeeded him, Shadè Williams. She went on to say, “The youth, the elderly and his community were everything to him. He served with pride, love and joy. He was never too busy to assist”.

OpenUp Project Coordinator, Damian Pool had the following to say about Llovellyn, “Whenever we came up with an idea to empower the youth of Cape Agulhas, I would always send a message to Llovellyn to pick his brain and find out how we can go about it and who we must include, and he always said as many youths as possible. He wanted to take the youth of CAM to the highest of highs. He would always go out of his way to assist us with getting venues or getting participants. I will always remember him for his noble deeds and for being someone who showed up for his people”.

On 7 October 2022, Llowellyn was honoured with a plaque on the pedestrian bridge in Ou Meule Street, Bredasdorp. He was one of six young people who beautified the bridge with a mosaic in a project that formed part of a campaign; no violence against women and children. May his soul rest in peace.