Wynberg mourns the passing of Brad Bing, Matric 1981, on Wednesday 21 May 2025.
Brad’s countless friends, colleagues, and brothers in our unbroken Wynberg chain join us in holding Annette, Max, Alex, and the entire Bing family close in our thoughts and prayers during this time of deep sorrow.
We are especially grateful to Keith Richardson, as well as Brad’s classmates and lifelong friends, Steve de Witt and Brett Erasmus, for their heartfelt tributes to a truly remarkable Wynberg Man.
A Note from the Family
The Bing family is deeply moved by the outpouring of love and support during this difficult time. As they navigate their grief, they kindly ask that friends and well-wishers refrain from calling directly, as they are currently overwhelmed and unable to respond as they would wish. Messages of condolence are truly appreciated and will be read with gratitude when the family is able. Thank you for your understanding and compassion.
Brad Bing
I have a vivid memory of my first meeting with Brad Bing. It was a January afternoon in 1976 and this tall gangly 13 year old in white cricket shorts, Fish Hoek Primary red socks and a cricket bag filled with I-am-not-sure-what, saw me outside Littlewood Hostel and asked me if I knew where the u14 practice was. I told him to follow me as I was the coach. He then proceeded to chat to me all the way to the nets as if we were old mates.
I was struck by his easy familiarity, his friendly demeanour, his joie de vivre, his positivity, his infectious enthusiasm, his obvious love of cricket. By the time, we had made it across the field to the nets in the left-hand corner of the old C field, I had decided that those were just the traits that I wanted in my captain. Over the term ahead, we spent many hours together on the hostel steps in the afternoons discussing tactics, debating field positions, and working out the optimum batting order.
As I look back now, some forty-nine years later, I note that he never lost any of those attributes. They are the same traits by which his two sons will remember him, as no doubt will his fellow cricketers at Claremont Cricket Club. And then, of course, there are the thousands of children who passed through his hands at Sporting Chance.
What an act of courage it was to start and be the driving force of Sporting Chance. In time, it became a feature of the South African coaching landscape, with those Caribbean beach cricket days being legendary.
Those special moments on the hostel steps were duplicated over the intervening 49 years in chats under the scoreboard at Newlands, or on the bank of Wynberg Hawthornden field on rugby Saturdays, or even sitting together in the Clegg Hall on Founders Day. He gave his heart to Wynberg and was, without doubt, the school’s most loyal supporter.
Cheers Braddles. Thanks for the memories. I still think that you needed to have your mid-on a little squarer when you had the off-spinner bowling.
Keith Richardson
13th Headmaster, Wynberg Boys’ High
In Loving Memory of Brad Bing (Matric 1981)
Wynberg Boys’ High School & Wynberg Old Boys’ Union
It is with deep sorrow that Wynberg Boys’ High School and the Old Boys’ Union mourn a cherished Old Boy, Brad Bing, who passed away on Wednesday, 21 May 2025.
Brad — Matric 1981, Littlewood boarder and lifelong Wynberg ambassador — was far more than a proud Old Boy. He was the epitomy of energy, commitment and service. His unwavering love for his school, family and country left an indelible mark on all who knew him.
A devoted husband to Annette and proud father to Max and Alex, Brad was also a loyal brother, treasured friend and a man whose natural charisma uplifted every space he entered.
His family roots in sport ran deep. A son of the late Fritz Bing — former Western Province cricket president, Proteas manager and Patron of Wynberg Cricket — Brad enhanced the family’s remarkable legacy. Carving a unique path, he founded ‘Sporting Chance’, a pioneering youth sports development organisation. The endeavour was enormously successful, earning wide admiration and respect. For decades it created opportunities for thousands of young South Africans to find joy, discipline and purpose through sport.
Brad’s deep belief in the transformative power of sport, especially for children in under-resourced communities, was more than a professional calling — it was a personal mission. His enthusiasm, strategic vision and relentless drive for inclusivity and excellence helped shape a brighter future for many. Today ’Sporting Chance’ is a household name and a symbol of hope and opportunity across South Africa.
Yet it was Brad’s relationship with our school that best exemplifies the spirit of a true Wynberg Man. From his school days as a boarder to the Old Boys’ Dinners and Founders’ Day events, Brad was an enduring presence — passionate, irrepressible and proud. He spoke often of the values instilled in him by our school: integrity, humility, service and courage. In his actions, he gave life to those values in the most inspiring manner.
Brad’s passing leaves a profound void in the Wynberg family and other communities. He was, and remains, a role model — someone whose life’s work was grounded in uplifting others, whose presence inspired and whose loyalty to his roots never wavered.
To the entire Bing family, we extend our deepest condolences. We share in your loss and stand with you in honouring Brad’s extraordinary life and legacy. He will live on in our hearts — and in the memory of generations of young people who will continue to run, play and dream because of his vision.
Rest well, Brad. You were a true son of Wynberg and an exemplary brother in our endless chain. We will miss you dearly.
Brett Erasmus (Matric 1981) & Steve de Witt (Matric 1980)
Classmates, and brothers in an endless chain