IN PICS | Remains of freedom fighters who died in exile received and to be reburied

The Gauteng government received the remains of freedom fighters who died in exile on Friday in a ceremony that forms part of the exile repatriation project to exhume, hand over and rebury them.

The remains of the 21 freedom fighters handed over on Friday include those of Vernon Moodley, Bennet Sibanyoni, Tshetlo Matshaba, Andrew Mashaba, Vincent Khumalo and Clayton Tsele.

Wrapped in a South African flag, some of the coffins were laid on the floor while others were placed on stands.

A representative for the Moodley family, Ali Muhammad, said they were celebrating his life.

“We are here today not to mourn but to celebrate a young life. Vernon left at the age of 16. At the age of 16 many people may think you were probably forced. you can't think — but the stories told by my auntie indicated he knew what he was doing,” Muhammad said.

He said at the time of his death, the family did not know exactly what happened.

“My granny as a sick person. When receiving the news, I want to believe she probably said, 'I take responsibility for my son's death'. But today we take a different view, because we have a better understanding and we know, eventually, what led to his death. And as a result of the remains being brought home, everything began to make perfect sense, and with interviews conducted, we were able to get a firm foundation of what basically happened.”

In his keynote address, acting premier Lebogang Maile said it brought a measure of joy to finally reclaim the remains.

“The catalogue of the larger-than-life contributions of all these individuals we are welcoming today is endless,” Maile said.

He said it was fulfilling to learn that at last, all the affected families can find healing and closure as they receive and rebury the repatriated remains. 

“On the other hand, it is equally deeply painful that our brothers and sisters return to the country of their birth, which is free and democratic, but are not able to enjoy the fruits of their selfless, sacrificial labours.

“It would have been ideal for all freedom fighters who sacrificed so much for the vision of a free, just and equal society to return home alive, to rejoin their families and to contribute to the reconstruction of the society they had envisioned with such deep passion.”

Maile said different times and slots have been allocated for the reburial of the remains.  This had been arranged in consultation with the families. 

One of the freedom fighters who will be reburied on Saturday is Moodley.

“Comrade Moodley and many, if not all, these fighters for justice were relatively young when they left our shores, yet they took destiny by the scruff of the neck,” he said.

“It feels good to be here today, in honour of this beloved that their mortal remains are returned to a free country. This is in itself a validation of the inherent nobility of the cause which they espoused during their lifetime. They lived for an ideal which will never die.”

Maile said the implementation of the project to repatriate the freedom fighters' remains was in line with the national policy on the repatriation and restitution of human remains and heritage objects approved by the cabinet in March 2021.

The project was officially launched by President Cyril Ramaphosa on September 27 at Freedom Park in Tshwane after the repatriation of 42 exhumed remains from Zambia and Zimbabwe. 

The department of sport, arts and culture is leading the project through the South African Heritage Resource Agency, supported by the departments of justice & constitutional development, home affairs, health and defence & military veterans as key stakeholders.

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