Premier of the North West province Mr Supra Mahumapelo
Deputy Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Mr Keppy Maphatsoe
Executive Mayor of Mamusa Local Municipality Councillor A Motswana
Provincial leadership of the ANC and Alliance Partners
Members of MKMVA
Members of the Lentsela Family
Comrades
Ladies and gentlemen
The importance of human life can never be over emphasised that is why it is with mixed feelings that we have gathered here today to handover the mortal remains of comrade Richard Lentsela. The late Commander of MK Chris Hani once said, “I’ve never wanted to spare myself because I feel there are people who are no longer around and died for this struggle. What right do I have to hold back, to rest, to preserve my health, to have time with my family, when there are other people who are no longer alive – when they sacrificed what is precious: namely life itself”.
On 21 March 2015, I addressed the commemoration of the National Human Rights Day in Uitenhage, Eastern Cape, which is 20kms from Port Elizabeth where my predecessor Dr Jeff Radebe handed over the remains of the 3 Port Elizabeth Black Civic Organisation activists (Pebco 3) who were cowardly slaughtered by the apartheid security police. Today we are in the North West to close yet another chapter of this gallant fighter whose commitment helped to dismantle the monster called apartheid. It is therefore befitting that his homecoming occurs during the Human Rights Month. Today we live in a country that values human rights because of the sacrifice of people like comrade Richard.
On 27 June 1986 he and three other MK members entered the country in a vehicle driven by a police informer commonly referred to as an Askari, handled by the Western Transvaal security police. All four were shot dead inside South Africa at Murgfontein farm at Nietverdiend near the Botswana border. In essence, they were ambushed by the notorious regime which worked tirelessly to preserve a system that sought to suppress the struggle for freedom. The Missing Person Task Team in the NPA excavated the field where the four were buried and recovered their remains, which had multiple bullet wounds. Richard’s identity was confirmed through DNA tests.
We acknowledge that this process is very traumatic to all involved, especially to the families, but take solace in the knowledge that our cadres will now be buried in a dignified manner. I would like to remind all of us that we are here, not only to handover comrade Richard’s remains, but to pay tribute to this gallant cadre of our struggle for freedom and democracy.
This sombre occasion reminds us of the adversity that we had to face during the struggle for political freedom and very importantly, gives us resilience as we now seek to consolidate the socio-economic freedom of our people. Comrade Richard remained resolute in the face of death and died with his boots on. He refused to grovel before a regime that trampled on the rights of the majority. We must all of us in our various areas of responsibility draw inspiration from comrades such as Richard, who paid the highest price for our freedom. Let us pick up their spear, forge ahead and build a truly prosperous South Africa.
Comrades
Our quest has been made much more plausible with the adoption of the Constitution, which guarantees the rights of everyone in South Africa. It was equally important that we recognise our grim past through the testimonies presented during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). A nation that does not acknowledge its past stands a chance to wonder forever without direction.
During the political negotiations that led to the 1994 breakthrough, we were mindful of the various instabilities that visited many former colonies post liberation due to their failure in addressing the demons of the past. Essentially the reasons for such political instabilities in many post-colonial societies were as a result of not fully addressing the legacy of historic oppression, socially, politically and economically. The TRC recommendations in this regard were geared to fulfilling the vision of a non-racial, non-sexist, stable, prosperous and democratic State that is at peace with itself from a point of view of reconciliation.
Let me pause to ask this question, have we as a nation reached a point of nation building and reconciliation that the TRC process sought to inculcate? I am reluctant to give firm answer in view of the recent reports of racism, xenophobia and violence against vulnerable people. One cannot confidently say that our quest for social cohesion has been achieved, when we continue to wake up to front page stories depicting the degradation of other human beings, such as the one covered by the Sowetan newspaper on Wednesday where a 16 year old white boy and his father allegedly forced a black employee to have sex with a dog. Last month we witnessed a video of a black student allegedly raped with a broom stick by white students at a hostel. There are many other horrifying racially motivated incidents, where human rights are grossly violated especially against blacks or Africans. It therefore remains relevant that we continue to pursue a vision of a non- racial and non- sexist society as part of our nation building efforts.
In this regard, our democratic government continues to embark on comprehensive transformation of the South African society through the implementation of the National Development Plan (NDP), our roadmap towards 2030. For the NDP to become a reality, it is through efforts such as those of this departed comrade whose remains lie here in our midst today.
Comrades, ladies and gentlemen
As we collectively trudge through to move South Africa forward, we have to constantly use the Constitution to assist in dismantling the architect of apartheid. Mainly the notion of apartheid was legitimised by legislation and enforced by biased forums and rule of terror. The apartheid regime passed a number of laws since the National Party took over in 1948, many of which have since been repealed and aligned to the Constitution. The TRC Report alluded to these repressive laws as responsible for the comprehensive oppression of the majority by a minority in our country. These are the laws that Comrade Lentsela fought against, to ensure the freedom and democracy of all our people.
We know others have told lies that we have not achieved anything since 1994 as an attempt to demobilise our people. On the contrary, President Jacob Zuma has correctly pointed out an undisputed truth that we have a good story to tell. Looking back 20 years, the ANC government has ensured that South Africa has one of the best constitutions in the world which guarantees all our citizens basic human rights. This is evident as many of our people have access to justice and strides have been made to improve their lives to be much better than during the system of apartheid. That system created immense poverty and inequality amongst our people which the ANC government tried to mitigate through such measures as provision of social security grants, provision of black economic empowerment opportunities and land restitution.
Ladies and gentlemen
It is the first time that we are in this province for handover of remains of our departed combatants. The TRC list had nearly 500 names of those who died during the conflicts of the past. The TRC unit and Missing Persons Task Team (MPTT) have exhumed, handed to families and facilitated reburials of 95 remains of the activists. This leaves MPTT with around 400 remains of our struggle heroes and heroines whose graves are yet to be located, exhumed and given dignified reburials. There is a lot of work to be done but as government, we shall soldier on fully alive to the fact that these cadres did not die in vain.
Program Director
Let me also give an update on what many have raised as a fair concern with regards to some alleged political offenders who are serving time in our correctional centres. You will recall that a Special Dispensation was adopted in 2007 in order to facilitate the granting of Presidential pardon for alleged political offenders in terms of section84(2)(j) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996.
After consultation with the office of the President, we have resuscitated this process and it is now at an advanced stage. We shall announce details of this process in due course. In the meantime the Department of Correctional Services is finalising the processing of parole applications for all the remaining offenders who were identified for consideration under the said Dispensation in order to expedite their possible release on parole.
Ladies and gentlemen
I would like to conclude by officially committing these mortal remains of our hero to his family. His mortal remains shall in turn be committed to the soil of his forebears in dignity. However his fighting and fearless spirit shall continue to propel us to greater heights as we seek solutions to the challenges of the struggle for the complete socio-economic freedom of our people.
Allow me to express my gratitude to the families for allowing us to convene in this manner as we do this handover with the dignity that it deserves. Also allow me to express my profound gratitude to the TRC Unit in my department, the Missing Persons Tasks Team in the NPA, the Provincial Task Team and all those who have been involved in various capacities to make this event a success.
As we proceed to take this cadre to his resting place, I recall those passionate words of our late President Mandela after the murder of Chris Hani, he said “Let us honour this soldier for peace in a fitting manner. Let us rededicate ourselves to bringing about the democracy he fought for all his life; democracy that will bring real, tangible changes in the lives of the working people, the poor, the jobless, the landless. Chris Hani is irreplaceable in the heart of our nation and people. When he first returned to South Africa after three decades in exile, Hani said: "I have lived with death most of my life. I want to live in a free South Africa even if I have to lay down my life for it".
Comrades Let us be reminded to constantly be on guard, to defend this democracy, for it did not come cheap.
Kea leboha.
