At this moment of great sadness and sorrow, we shall not shed a tear in honour and praise of death.
At this moment of profound grief, we shall sing and praise the brilliant life lived to the fullest, as Comrade Reverend Motlalepule would have expected us. As one of the gallant fighters, moulded and shaped by the peoples’ movement, the African National Congress, she was never crippled or ruled by fear of any type or form including death. This was simply, because in her life time she had stared death in the eye many a time.
She lived in the presence of constant death under the brutal rule of the apartheid regime. Thrown into apartheid dungeons and threatened with death she was never shaken or weakened instead she was fortified and remained loyal to the ideals and values of the mass democratic movement.
She stood tall and grounded even when it became fashionable to be flamboyant and live a life of opulence. Without any semblance of pretence and vanity, she never hesitated to criticise that which seeks to undermine the principles and values that the African National Congress stood for. She was outspoken inside and outside the government structures. She was always on the side of the weak and the poor.
When asked to work and advance the programme of the people, she executed that assignment with diligence and energy that belied her age. She approached each task with the youthful energy and spirit. Mama Motlalepula became a symbol of hope, perseverance, humility and hard work in all communities where she lived, not only in South Africa, but throughout the world.
It is for this reason that she will stay immortal in our minds and hearts. As in the words of the writer, Thomas Campbell (in “Hallowed Ground”):
To live in hearts we leave behind
Is not to die.
Indeed, Comrade Chabaku, has a special place in our hearts. It is a place that renders her immortal. We shall always salute her for her courage and selflessness. We shall always strive to uphold and defend what she fought and stood for. Her sacrifices will not be in vain since the march and fight for the total liberation shall be intensified and accelerated.
Born into a very poor family in Newclare, the late Rev Chabaku learnt from a very early age that, one had to work hard and think smart if one were to overcome the challenges life threw in one’s direction. She never allowed her biographical situation to define and determine her destiny.
When the dice of life threw her misfortune she accepted it as a window of new opportunities. Hence when she was afflicted with sickness at a tender age that threatened her life she used her voice and intelligence in many areas of life in a fulfilling way.
She was an activist wherever she lived. Whether she was in the Free State – where she was that province’s first Speaker at the legislature; or Gauteng – where she partook in the Housing, Social Development and Gender, Youth and People with Disabilities committees; Mama Chabaku always stood for the weakest, most vulnerable and voiceless members of society. That she never took leave or went on recess is another defining feature of the late freedom fighter.
She never went on any retirement and continued contributing to the legislature committees when she could.
Those who knew and worked with Mama Chabaku would attest to her love for education. She believed, like Nelson Mandela, that education was pivotal to uplifting young people and giving them hope for the future. That belief took her on an exchange programme to the United States of America where she furthered her clerical studies and not only earned a Masters in Divinity, but also a Masters in adult education, guidance and counselling.
Armed with her new qualifications, Mama Chabaku easily played her role as teacher and minister – a role that saw her help hundreds of young and old members of her community.
At the ripe age of 79-years the feminist, teacher, musician, horticulturist, lawmaker, politician, cleric, scholar and community leader never ceased to work for better life for all. She never stopped to challenge any vice and work for change until cowardly death delivers the last blow.
Her passing has left a gaping hole. We shall always have fond memories of her.
To the bereaved family, we want to assure you that you are not alone during this sad moment. The whole nation is mourning the loss of the beautiful spirit who never failed to uplift and brighten even in the most difficult times of our struggle.
I hope you will find solace in the followings words of the scripture, Romans 14:8:
For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.
May her soul rest in peace.
Dankie. Ngiyabonga
