Joost was ‘was our brother‚ a father and a son and performed those roles with pride’

In an emotional testimony during the public and provincial memorial for his brother Joost van der Westhuizen‚ Pieter van Westhuizen described him as a simple Pretoria boy who worked hard to achieve what seemed an impossible dream of becoming a Springbok.

Bok and Blue Bulls legend Van der Westhuizen died on Monday after a long battle with motor neuron disease (MND).

He was 45.

• WATCH LIVE: Joost van der Westhuizen memorial serviceFriends, family and fans are gathering to pay tribute to rugby legend Joost van der Westhuizen at his memorial service in Pretoria. 

“Since a young age‚ Joost was determined to reach the highest height. We did not take him seriously when he started talking about that dream but he worked very hard to achieve that dream‚” Pieter van Westhuizen said at the memorial service at Loftus Versfeld on Friday.

Joost van der Westhuizen’s sibling added that the dream of making it big on the international stage seemed almost impossible to achieve considering the fact that theirs was a normal family living on the outskirts of Pretoria.

“We were just a normal family with not much but strong values that were learned from our parents‚ but he took it upon himself to play for the Springboks and he worked extremely hard to achieve that dream‚ and he put our family on the map.

• Joost memorial: ‘As a coach you wished you had 15 Joosts’The memorial for Springbok legend Joost van der Westhuizen is being held at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Friday. 

“He was a proud Blue Bulls and Springbok and he was proud to be a South African.”

“He was our brother‚ a father and a son and he performed those roles with pride. He loved his children very much.”

Pieter van der Westhuizen explained the heartache the family felt when his brother was diagnosed with MND‚ and when it became clear that the disease had no cure.

“It was difficult for us when he got sick because we did not know what MND was and initially we thought he would get better‚” he said.

• Varejes on Joost and MND: 'We cried together that day but we never cried again'Chairman of the South African Rugby Legends Gavin Varejes paid an emotional tribute to former Bok skipper Joost van der Westhuizen in Pretoria on Friday.

“We realised that there was no cure for the disease‚ which makes you a prisoner in your own body‚” he said‚ adding that being a celebrity largely robbed his brother of privacy during his illness.

Joost van der Westhuizen was buried in a simple coffin and Pieter said that was what the rugby star wanted.

“He wanted to go away a simple man and in a simple coffin and I honour him for that.”

- TMG Digital/TMG Sport