In memoriam: Margaret Hiza: A Tribute, 9 March 1947 – 17 September 2024

Abstract

Margaret Hiza was born in New York, USA, on the 9th of March 1947. She finished her veterinary studies in Pennsylvania, in the bovine hospital of the University Veterinary School she met a young South African intern, Peter Ardington. Together, she and her husband, Peter, built a Veterinary Practice and expanded a cattle farming enterprise. They had 2 daughters. She has been a practising veterinarian for 45 years. Every working day, she poured her kindness over animals and the people who owned them. She was disturbed by the severe industrial pollution of the air and water in the Mandeni area. She formed an organisation called ROMP (standing for Reduce Our Mandeni Pollution). ROMP worked with the paper and other industries, the Department of Water Affairs, and other government agencies to make improvements in our air and water quality and ensure compliance with laws. Margaret’s cancer relapsed in 2019, and she died on the 17th of September 2024