“Overwhelmed with joy” is how Barbara Nyakato describes the moment her fiancé, Dr Richard Kalungi, got down on one knee on Fish Hoek Beach and asked her to marry him.
Ms Nyakato and Dr Kalungi are both Rotarians with the Rotary Club South Kampala in Uganda. With the help of the Rotary Club Cape of Good Hope, Dr Kalungi was able to pull off the perfect surprise proposal on Tuesday December 3.
When Dr Kalungi learned that Ms Nyakato would be visiting Cape Town for five days, he contacted the Rotary Club Cape of Good Hope for assistance in planning the proposal.
His request was simple: the proposal must take place at a location with a beautiful view, flowers should be provided, a photographer should be booked in advance, and the celebration dinner need not be extravagant.
Rotarian Bev Frieslich said the response to his email was an enthusiastic “yes, let’s do it”.
“We have always said that Rotary is a family of like-minded people all over the world, and we were able to make this happen in reality,” said Ms Frieslich.
Ms Frieslich hosted Dr Kalungi at her Fish Hoek home after his secret arrival and took him to a local mall to buy an engagement ring and a new outfit for the occasion.
On the day, Ms Frieslich said, Dr Kalungi went to the beach while she arranged for Ms Nyakato to take an e-hailing service to her home. Ms Nyakato had been told she would be attending a Rotary function at the beach.
“We had to hide Richard’s things so she wouldn’t be alerted to his presence, and then I drove her to the beach where everyone was waiting in excited anticipation,” said Ms Frieslich.
The Rotarians gathered on the catwalk and waited with Dr Kalungi while Mathea Eichel, co-owner of The Galley and part of the surprise, stopped them and casually suggested that Ms Frieslich show Ms Nyakato the scenery from the catwalk, which she did.
Ms Frieslich said Ms Nyakato did not suspect anything. Once she realised Dr Kalungi was there with “a sparkling diamond ring, she wept tears of joy and love”.
“This was an exercise in enthusiastic teamwork and support on all sides, with a fantastic result that left us all in happy tears,” said Ms Frieslich.
Dr Kalungi said he and Babu, as he affectionately refers to Ms Nyakato, were humbled by the experience and felt only gratitude for Ms Frieslich, the Rotary Club Cape of Good Hope, and everyone else involved.
“I’m still on cloud nine after the unforgettable surprise marriage proposal… Her joyful ‘yes’ left me overjoyed. The love, support, and warmth of the Rotary family made this moment truly magical. It demonstrated the power of connections and the possibilities within Rotary,” he said.
Ms Nyakato said that as they walked along the shore, she noticed Ms Frieslich greeting various people, and it struck her that they were all friends of hers.
“What I didn’t realise was that they were all part of a much bigger plan,” she said.
As they reached the spot where the proposal took place, Ms Nyakato said she thought to herself that the people must be fellow Rotarians waiting for the meeting to start. However, to her surprise, Dr Kalungi was among them.
“My heart raced as the realisation struck me that he was here to propose. In that magical moment, on the sandy beach of Fish Hoek, Richard got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. Overwhelmed with joy, I said yes, without a second thought. It was the easiest decision I ever made,” she said.
