The government of South Africa concedes that even though the process to repatriate political activists and freedom fighters who died in different countries has been slow, progress is being made to exhume and bring their mortal remains.
As South Africa commemorates 30 years of freedom and democracy, government, led by the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gayton Mackenzie and Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Angie Motshekga will on Wednesday receive the remains of 49 former liberation fighters who passed away in exile in Zimbabwe and Zambia.
The remains of the activists and freedom fighters are set to arrive at Waterkloof Air Force Base in Tshwane on Wednesday.
Following the arrival of the mortal remains, government will host an official homecoming ceremony on Friday at Freedom Park, also Tshwane, to mark the return of the mortal remains of liberation fighters to their country of their birth.
Thereafter, reburial ceremonies will be held in the provinces of their origin, “ensuring they are laid to rest with the dignity and respect they deserve”.
In an interview with broadcaster Newzroom Afrika on Monday, ANC’s international relations sub-committee deputy chairperson Obed Bapela said there will be more exhumations and repatriations in the future.
“Better late than never, and however it is not the first time that we are bringing … We have already brought back almost 100 (remains) but it was a very slow programme at the time. This is the first time that we are bringing massive 49 at a go. In the past we brought them in tens, fives and twos,” he said.
“We have 1,000 people buried across various countries in Africa, in Europe, in America, Latin America which we need to bring back over a period of time. We hope this process will be hastier, and regular to ensure that those remains of our heroes and heroines are brought back finally to their resting country, to rest in peace next to their loved ones, families.”
Bapela said majority of the fighters being repatriated from Zambia and Mozambique were members of the African National Congress, but government is repatriating activists and fighters from different political formations and liberation movements which waged the war against apartheid.
Other freedom fighters were members of the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) and the grassroots anti-apartheid activist movement, Black Consciousness Movement (BCM).
Last week, IOL reported that several South African families, whose relatives were political activists who migrated and later died and were buried in Zimbabwe, had travelled to the neighbouring country to perform rituals of exhuming and repatriating their loved ones.
This homecoming ceremony will be hosted under this year’s Heritage Month theme: “Celebrating the lives of our heroes and heroines who laid down their lives for our freedom."
Meanwhile, Catherine Zikalala, one of the families’ representative spoke to SABC News in Zimbabwe where she has travelled to collect the mortal remains of her relative, Edna Nomakosazana Mgabaza who was born in 1922 and passed away in 1987.
Mgabaza, a nurse by profession, worked in Zambia before relocating to Zimbabwe where she later died.
“She was a nurse who was recruited to come and work in Zambia, so she came in the mid-60s. She was based in Zambia,” Zikalala told the SABC.
“While there, she was also helping with the logistics for the African National Congress because we had to fight the war from all fronts. The war for freedom was not just soldiers with their AK-47s.”
She said while working at the hospital in Zambia, Mgabaza was able to nurse South African freedom fighters including Duma Nokwe, secretary general of the African National Congress from 1958 to 1969.
“He actually passed away in her hands. When he passed away, she then moved to Harare from Zambia. She passed away here on October 16, 1987.”
Zikalala has saluted the South African government for initiating this exhumation and repatriation process, adding that the families need closure.
IOL