Ockert Potgieter

Ockert Potgieter
Personal details
Born
Ockert Potgieter

(1965-12-11)11 December 1965
Died11 October 2021(2021-10-11) (aged 55)
Mossel Bay, South Africa
Cause of deathCOVID-19[1][2]
NationalitySouth African
SpouseMichelle Cilliers
Children5
Alma materPotchefstroom Gymnasium, Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education
Known forMissionary work, Film Director

Ockert Potgieter (Ukrainian: Окерт Потгітер; 11 December 1965 – 11 October 2021) was a South African missionary in Ukraine and a film director.

Education

Potgieter completed his school years at Potchefstroom Gimnasium.[3] He studied further in Law at the Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education and after finishing his undergraduate studies he did a PhD in Law. He was awarded the honor of being the best Law student in South Africa.[4] He received the Lawyer’s student award in 1989 from the Loyalty Fund.[5] He finished a diploma in Social Law at “Rijkuniversisteit” Ghent, Belgium in conjunction with Stellenbosch University.[6]

Missionary work

After Potgieter guided a student group through Ukraine, he and his wife decided to establish a church in Reni, Ukraine. Reni is a town in the Odesa Oblast Province. It is a southwest Ukrainian town close to the Romanian border next to the Danube River. He and his wife Michelle established a church called the “Light of the World” (Світло світу) in 1990. They have been running community uplifting programmes since then. They focussed on the part of Reni that is poor and has unmaintained infrastructure. In the area they worked, most houses did not have electricity, or a toilet in the house. Most houses' toilets were outside. Proper water access was limited, and electricity was only available 6 hours a day. Potgieter started a campaign called “I Love Reni”. It is a project that maintains and repairs infrastructure, cleans the city, provided water, upgrades roads and does paint work. Voluntary social workers from the UK are helping once a year. For these projects he partnered up with Jubilee Church Maidstone, UK and the Mayor of Reni, Igor Plegov. A kindergarten school was established as well as a programme to enrich children's lives by exposing them to different countries and culture. The Potgieters have been attacked in the past by armed men but survived it and continued to do missionary work there.[7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]

Film director

Potgieter was the director and writer of the movie “Enough” (Russian: Хватит - новый русский фильм) a Russian film released in 2013. It is a film made by New Day Films. The slogan is: In every life, there comes a time to let go”. The film is a story of hate, war and betrayal, with love the only way to overcome it. It was set in Russia in 1917. Two children escaped the war and had to survive on their own. Years later, one of the survivors retraced his steps to find peace. It was filmed in Ukraine.[21][22][23][24][25]

Death

Potgieter died from COVID-19 pneumonia during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa, at age 55.[26]

References

  1. ^ "«ГОРОД ОСИРОТЕЛ»: В РЕНИ ОТ КОВИДА УМЕР ЛЮБИМЫЙ МНОГИМИ ГОРОЖАНАМИ ПАСТОР ИЗ АФРИКИ (ФОТО) В Рени от коронавируса в возрасте 56 лет скончался пастор христианской церкви «Свет миру» Окерт Потгитер" ["The city": The Pastor from Africa and Reni, Ukraine, Ockert Potgieter died from COVID. He was the Pastor of the Christian Church "Light of the World" and died from the coronavirus at the age of 56]. ISKRA Media. 13 October 2021. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
  2. ^ "В Одесской области от коронавируса скончался известный пастор из Африки" [Well known African pastor in the Odesa region died from the coronavirus]. od-news.com. 12 October 2021. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  3. ^ de Bruyn,P.P. "Potchefstroom Gimnasium 1907-1982" (PDF) (in Afrikaans). Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  4. ^ "Die reg op arbeid : 'n regsvergelykende perspektief" [The right to work : view out of a law point]. Potchefstroom University. 1992. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  5. ^ "Prokureursstudent · Toekenning 1989 (Lawyer's student award – 1989)". Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  6. ^ "De bescherming van de rechten van werknemers in Zuid-Afrika en België" [Workers rights protection in South Africa and Belgium] (in Dutch). Universiteit Bibliotheek Gent. 1990. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  7. ^ Salzwedel,L. (2011). Seerowers, Kammelkoppe en Chillies vir tee; fassinerende stories van Suid Afrikaners in die buiteland [Pirates, Camel Heads and Chilies for tea; fascinating stories about South Africans overseas] (in Afrikaans). Lapa. ISBN 9780799356717.
  8. ^ "Hope where there seems to be none". Novidien. 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  9. ^ van der Merwe,J. (9 April 2014). "SA gesin het roeping in Oekraine" [SA family has calling in the Ukraine] (in Afrikaans). Netwerk24. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  10. ^ "One church many locations". Discover Life Magazine. December 2010. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  11. ^ "Людям нужна любовь" Людям нужна любовь [Love is needed] (in Russian). Часпик Magazine No43(89). 24 October 2002.
  12. ^ "Vader vir die vaderlose (translated: Father for the ones that do not have a father" (in Afrikaans). Juig. September 2013. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  13. ^ "Волонтёры из Англии приехали на встречу с социальными работниками в Рени" [Volunteers from the UK met with Social workers in Reni, Ukraine] (in Russian). ToПop (magazine). 7 July 2018. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  14. ^ "Woord en Daad" [Word and Action] (in Afrikaans). Reformation Movement of South Africa (REMSA). September 2007. p. 32 – 35. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  15. ^ Андрей ПОТЫЛИКО (Potylyko,Andrei (10 May 2018). "Ренийский Старый пляж "обновили"" [Beach road in Reni upgraded] (in Russian). Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  16. ^ "Masada Youth Camp Ukraine". Give Send Go. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  17. ^ Bergström, A. (17 April 2018). "(Swedish) Love Reni". Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  18. ^ "обновили" [upgraded] (in Russian). КУРЬЕР НЕПЕАИ (KH Magazine). 23 March 2018. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  19. ^ Reni News (12 July 2018). "(Russian)Церковь "Свет миру" отправила 85 детей смотреть мир (translated: "Light of the World" helped 85 children to see the world)" ["Light of the World" helped 85 children to see the world] (in Russian). Oпegga Рени Magazine. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  20. ^ "Волонтёрыtr" [Volunteers]. РАДАР 24. 12 December 2013. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
  21. ^ "Movie enough". 2 August 2013. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  22. ^ "Хватит — новый русский фильм (2013)" [Enough a new Russian film] (in Russian). Retrieved 11 July 2018.
  23. ^ "A good movie to watch". Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  24. ^ "Ockert Potgieter". IMDb.
  25. ^ "Enough". YouTube. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
  26. ^ "Alumnus Ockert Potgieter passed away". NWU University. Retrieved 16 October 2021.