Kader Asmal fought corruption in his retirement

Former education minister, the late Professor Kader Asmal, was so busy fighting corruption in the ANC after he had retired that he never had time to live his retirement dream - reading poetry to his wife, Louise.

Louise shared her memories of Asmal with an audience that packed the Cape Town City Hall yesterday during the official memorial service.

Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe was the keynote speaker, while Minister in the Presidency Trevor Manuel served as programme director.

Various ministers, MPs, ambassadors, and Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille attended the service.

"Years ago, Kader told me that, when he retired we would spend the time reading poetry to each other," said Louise.

"This, of course, never happened, as he was caught up fighting the politics of the day and trying to counteract the spreading corruption and the betrayal of the ideals of the ANC by some."

She said Asmal had been intermittently ill for nearly a year before he died.

"Such was his fighting spirit, though, we never thought of him as frail or incapacitated."

Louise described Asmal as an inspirational organiser. He showed this during the years they spent in Ireland, where he championed the anti-apartheid initiative, she said.

"The Irish Anti-Apartheid Movement executive committee, for example, met every other Monday in our house in Dublin. When we had to send our newsletters or prepare placards for a demonstration he would sit on the floor with all of us and stuff envelopes or painstakingly paint slogans on the placards. His teacher training for writing on blackboards came in useful."

Every speaker who took to the podium yesterday lauded Asmal.

Motlanthe said Asmal's death had "deepened our collective pain as a nation" as it came so soon after Albertina Sisulu's death.

"Both these leaders epitomised the spirit of a particular era in our history; an era imbued with a deep spirit of human solidarity and an abiding sense of selflessness in advancing this vision," he said.

"This was an era that mobilised millions of South Africans to pursue the vision of a united, democratic, non-racial, non-sexist, just and prosperous South Africa."

Motlanthe said Asmal was inspired to join the ANC by the then party president, Chief Albert Luthuli, and became a champion of human rights.

"Even in his retirement he continued to infuse our age with these exalted values that have sustained his life as a freedom fighter as well as during the building of a post, apartheid social landscape," said Motlanthe.

Comedian Pieter-Dirk Uys had everyone in stitches when he said heaven would never be the same as Asmal would be demanding transparency, as well as that the "Protection of the Holy Information Act" be repealed.