STEVE SMIT: THE MAN WHO SPOKE FOR THE VOICELESS Remembering Durban beloved Monkey Man

There are some people who become so much a part of a community that their absence leaves a space far bigger than the person themselves.

Steve Smit was one of those people.

Known across Durban and KwaZulu-Natal simply as the 'Monkey Man' Steve died on 12 August 2026, aged 70, following a battle with cancer. For more than three decades, he devoted his life to animals that most people simply passed by, misunderstood or regarded as a nuisance.

Steve saw something different.

He saw a life worth saving.

Through Monkey Helpline, which he founded in 1995, Steve became the familiar face called upon when a vervet monkey was injured, trapped, abused or simply in trouble. He climbed trees, crossed rooftops, entered gardens and answered rescue calls that many others would have walked away from.

But Steve's story was never only about monkeys.

His activism stretched across the broader animal-rights movement. He founded the Front for Animal Liberation and Conservation of Nature in 1985 and later co-founded Animal Rights Africa. He campaigned against wildlife exploitation, the ivory trade, live animal exports, canned hunting and animal cruelty.

Yet it was the vervet monkeys of KwaZulu-Natal that ultimately became synonymous with his name.

For years, Steve worked largely as an unpaid volunteer, giving his time, energy and resources to animals that could never repay him. His mission was not simply rescue. Education was equally important. He wanted people to understand the animals living alongside them and to replace fear and intolerance with knowledge and compassion.

Those who knew him describe a man of enormous character, passionate, outspoken, funny, determined and sometimes uncompromising. He was a storyteller, mentor, activist and, above all, a man who refused to stand by when something needed to be done.

His partner, Carol Booth, who worked beside him for many years, has spoken of the profound love Steve carried for his family. He was a father to Jonathan, Kiron and Luke, a stepfather to Jessica and Jordan, and a proud grandfather to four grandchildren.

Steve leaves behind more than an organisation and a lifetime of rescues. He leaves behind a changed community, one that learned, through his persistence, that our responsibility does not end with our own species.

His legacy is alive in every animal that was given another chance because Steve answered the call.

And fittingly, those wishing to honour his memory have been encouraged to plant one of his favourite trees a sycamore fig creating something living in his name and providing food and shelter for wildlife.

A tree grows slowly. A legacy does too.

Steve Smit spent his life planting one.

Durban has lost its Monkey Man.

But the animals he fought for, the people he inspired and the countless lives he touched will ensure that Steve Smit is not forgotten.

Rest peacefully, Steve. Your work here mattered.