Steven Gruzd: My friend, my brother

Perhaps it was an unlikely bond between a Jew and a Muslim that developed and was sustained for almost three decades. I met Steven for the first time at a diplomatic function. The food was atrocious, but I was ravenous and turned to the only Jew at the event, asking if he knew what could pass as halaal/kosher. We started a relationship focused on our joint work on Africa, South African foreign policy and, of course, the Middle East. The only real difference between us over these three decades was his love for Scrabble, which I found boring! 

Steven played a key role with his balanced and extremely well-researched articles on a variety of issues, from the African Peer Review Mechanism to issues of foreign policy and trade. His passing has left a gaping intellectual void in South Africa as well as on the continent. His writing was always incisive and his prose a pleasure to read. He could write for academics, policy makers, and the general public. His passion for his subject matter always came out in these articles, and in his speeches. Perhaps the most important quality he brought to his work was the ability to infuse rationality into highly emotive debates, whether 7 October and Gaza or the current conflict with Iran. He combined deep insights while maintaining a certain emotional detachment from his subject matter, thereby enriching his writing further. This is no mean feat given the growing polarisation of our discourses. 

But Steven was so much than just an excellent intellectual. He was a mensch. He cared about people. In all the long years of our relationship, I never heard him say a bad word about anyone. He was also always willing to lend a helping hand. I recall asking Steven for advice when I started a newspaper called Islamic Focus, expecting him to give me some brief advice, but he sat and spoke with me for almost two hours. He then went on to check on me several times, whether it was about issues of marketing or securing more authors for the fledgling newspaper. He cared and he demonstrated it in his special quiet manner. 

To his wife, Mandy, and his children, my love and thoughts go out to you. Your husband and father enriched this world by simply sharing this journey of life with us. We are all so much poorer now that he is no longer with us. 

Steven was a gentle soul and the very violent manner in which his beautiful life was ended should galvanise all of us to redouble our efforts to end the rampant criminality that has plagued our society for so long. It should not be accepted as normal. A secure society is a basic right for all South Africans. Steven, I will miss you my friend, my brother. 

• Dr Hussein Solomon is senior professor at the Centre for Gender and Africa Studies, University of the Free State.