On 19 November 2016, Bishop Erwin HECHT, the Bishop-emeritus of Kimberley, South Africa, died in Hünfeld, Germany, where he had moved in 2013.
Born in Burgrieden, Germany, in 1933, he was ordained a priest in 1959 and went to South Africa as a missionary. When he was only 38 years old, he was named Auxiliary Bishop of Kimberley, South Africa, and Titular Bishop of Obba. Two years later, he became the Ordinary of Kimberley where he served until his retirement in 2009. At the time of his retirement, he was Africa’s longest serving bishop.
Among the priests whom he ordained during his years as bishop is Bishop Wilhelm STECKLING, former Oblate Superior General and now the Bishop of Ciudad del Este, Paraguay.
