‘Soldiers die like this‚ so we had to adjust’

01 July 2016 - 19:35 By S'duduzo Dludla

“We received and buried the bones; when we found out it wasn’t the right ones‚ it was trauma all over again‚” said Punkies Mavuso-Masuku‚ the niece of Selby Mavuso. Mavuso was an uMkhonto we Sizwe cadre and was killed by the security police. On Friday Mavuso‚ Sizwe Kondile and Johannes Sambo were given a symbolic burial after their bodies were destroyed by apartheid agents. Mavuso was abducted in the 1981 Matola Raid in Maputo. His body was reportedly burnt and his ashes thrown into the Komati River. Mavuso-Masuku said the ceremony brought the family joy and gave them closure. “We are happy to know the truth about how he died. He was an honest person who always appreciated the truth‚” said Mavuso-Masuku.But the road hasn't been easy for the Mavuso family‚ particularly having to deal with the trauma of not having a body to bury‚ which made the grieving process hard."Soldiers die like this‚ so we had to adjust‚” said Mavuso-Masuku...

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