THE funeral of a popular Southampton youth worker who later became a diplomat for his native South Africa will take place tomorrow.

Steve Gawe came to the UK after being detained for being a member of the then-banned ANC.

His studies at Fort Hare University in the Eastern Cape had been interrupted in 1964 when he was sentenced to a year in prison.

In 1971 he completed a Diploma in Youth and Community work, and for the next 15 years was a youth and community worker for Oxford City and then Hampshire County Council.

He worked at Graham Road Youth Club in Newtown in the late 1970s and 80s and his daughters Nomtha and Vuyo were born while Steve was employed in Southampton.

He became the ANC’s chief representative in Italy in 1991.

In 1994 he began working for the Department of Foreign Affairs in Pretoria and a year later became South Africa’s ambassador to Norway. and on the completion of his term of duty he became a Director at the Foreign Service Institute of the Department of Foreign Affairs.

In 2000 his wife Tozie died, and in 2001 he was appointed South African Ambassador to Denmark.

He later married a colleague in the diplomatic service, and after retiring accompanied her to the South African embassies in Hungary and Chile.

He died peacefully after a short illness while staying with his family in Oxford on July 18. There will be a service at Oxford Crematorium at 12.30pm tomorrow.