A well-known businessman from Polokwane, Mr Ebrahim Omar Sonawala (82), died on Saturday. He is the father of Mrs Zohra Noor, wife of prominent Makhado businessman, Mr Solly Noor.

Mr Sonawala was born in India on February 25, 1925. He came to South Africa in 1949 and, together with his son Arif, started a business in the then Pietersburg in 1963. The Omarsons store in Market Street was a well-known feature of the town. The company specialised in the supply of clothing.

In 1993, a branch of Solly’s Discount World was opened in Polokwane and the Omarsons’ business was integrated into this store. Two of the sons, Arif and Iqbal, headed this new venture. Mr Ebrahim Sonawala was a well-known face at the Solly’s Discount World store in Polokwane and he continued working there until shortly before his death.

His wife, Kulsumbhai, passed away in February 1993 during a tragic car accident that also claimed the lives of two children of the Noor family of Makhado and a child of Arif.

He leaves behind five children and 15 grandchildren. The children are Arif, Iqbal and Jamil from Polokwane, Zohra from Makhado and Sharim from Pretoria.