Hands off Mamelodi struggle heroes, EFF told

28 April 2016 - 02:19 By Sipho Masombuka

Mamelodi families have rallied behind the relatives of hanged struggle hero Solomon Mahlangu to protect his memory from being used by "populist" movements such as the EFF for political gain.The families of deceased liberation fighters decided to take action during a meeting held at Mamelodi West local municipal offices on Monday.They intend approaching the Pretoria High Court for an order barring any political party other than the ANC from using the names of icons that were part of the township's rich struggle heritage.Mamelodi boasts some prominent names in the liberation struggle, including Dr Fabian Ribeiro and his wife Florence, who were gunned down by apartheid agents in their Mamelodi home in 1986.Stanza Bopape died after being tortured at John Vorster Square, and there were the "Mamelodi 10" - guerrilla hopefuls who were abducted by security police and set alight in a minibus in 1986.Maria Ntuli, 83, whose 17-year-old son Jeremiah was one of the Mamelodi 10, said the families had decided to come together following the recent tug-of-war that erupted between the EFF and Mahlangu's family over the use of his name at its political rallies.Earlier this month the Pretoria High Court overturned a judgment barring the EFF from holding a lecture in Mahlangu's name, paving the way for the event to go ahead at the University of Pretoria's Mamelodi campus without the family's blessing.Ntuli said only the ANC had the right to use Mahlangu's memory...

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