On Friday, the 76-year-old Georgiou died from a suspected heart attack whilst in Cyprus after attending his brother’s funeral.

Word of his sudden passing elicited great shock in the region, with many on social media sharing what a great man their beloved “uncle Nic” was.

Spokesperson for the Georgiou family and current chairman of the Hellenic Community of Bloemfontein, Mario Savvas, says the 76-year-old mogul shared his optimism regarding South Africa’s future during a family dinner over two weeks ago ahead of his departure for Cyprus.

Savvas says when the country held its first democratic elections in 1994 and many wanted to leave out of fear the country would deteriorate, Georgiou believed that the rainbow nation was set for growth and remained.

“When everyone was selling, he was buying and believing in the future. This worked out quite well for him and his family,” concludes Savvas.

It’s not known if the family intends on having him buried in Cyprus or in Bloemfontein.

The 76-year-old moved to South Africa in the early 60s. He kicked off his illustrious stint as an entrepreneur with a chain of fruit and vegetable stores.

His career was, according to Moneyweb overshadowed by his involvement in the Picvest, Highveld Syndication and subsequent rescue efforts to repay the 18 000 investors around R4.6 billion owed to them.

READ MORE: Nic Georgiou has passed away

Savvas says whilst Georgiou is well-known for his accomplishments as a shrewd businessman, he led the Greek community as the chairman of the Hellenic Community in Bloemfontein for 25 years during some difficult times.

“For the Greek community in Bloemfontein, it’s a huge loss. I mean at a time when we struggled to keep the community together, he stepped up and took control of that. When we didn’t have money to pay for priests and teachers, he paid them out of his pocket and brought them here. Just so that our kids could learn Greek and about their heritage,” says Savvas.

The community is planning on honouring Georgiou’s life sometime next week.

Georgiou is survived by his five children from two marriages, as well as several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

OFM News