the funeral of Baba Moses Mabhida, Slangspruit in Pietermaritzburg
2 December 2006
The President of the Republic of South Africa Mr Thabo Mbeki
The Mabhida family
Deputy President of the African National Congress (ANC) Mr Jacob Zuma
Cabinet Ministers
Members of the National and Provincial Legislature
All Mayors and Councillors present
Members of the National and Provincial Executive here present
Secretary General of the ANC, Kgalema Motlanthe
General Secretary of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), Mr
Zwelinzima Vavi
General Secretary of the South African Communist Party, Mr Blade Nzimande
Members of the Clergy
Ladies and gentlemen
Today marks a watershed moment in the history of the province of
KwaZulu-Natal in particular and the country of South Africa in general. We are
assembled here to pay tribute to the son of the soil who, more than forty five
years ago, took a conscious and yet difficult decision that if he had to die,
he would die a noble death fighting the tyranny and oppression that was
apartheid.
In 1986, that son of KwaZulu-Natal, Baba Moses Mabhida died in Mozambique
and he was buried in a temporary grave.
During our State of the Province address on the 28th February 2005, we
committed our government to bringing back the remains of this outstanding
leader of liberation. Last week we travelled in a convoy of 30 cars across
three countries, Mozambique, Swaziland, and South Africa with his remains to
honour that declaration. We want to thank the people who we met across the way
for coming to bid farewell to Baba Mabhida.
We have honoured the declaration made by our leader President of the ANC,
Oliver Thambo, and our friend and compatriot President Samaro Machel of
Mozambique who said Baba Mabhida would lie in a temporary grave and would be
buried in his country when we achieve democracy.
President Machel said at Baba Mabhid's funeral. "He was denied his soil in
life and it is denied to him after death. But he will not be buried in a
foreign land. Mozambique is his country too. Mozambican soil which he also
loved and of which the struggle made him a brother, will enfold him with love
and respect. We shall be the guardians of his body, which is a banner of
victories." In the words of President Tambo, he said: "wherever Moses Mabhida
is in the end laid to rest, his grave shall be like a place of pilgrimage, to
all those who love freedom as he did, a beacon to the future for all those who
value liberty more than their own lives - as he did."
It is precisely that pilgrimage which will start today with his burial at
Heroes Acre. It will be a pilgrimage for the millions who fought for freedom
and who will be able to take this journey to pay homage to all those who
sacrificed their lives for our freedom.
Pledge
In this centenary year we committed ourselves to do four things:
Firstly, we committed ourselves to celebrate the 100 years of the Bhambatha
uprising. Inkosi Bhambatha Ka Manciza Zondi taught us new forms of struggle and
said that the "weak could stand their ground against the strong by employing
guerilla warfare." The President and the Amakhosi and the Zondi family and the
communities of Greytown were present as we commemorated this event in June this
year, in Greytown.
Secondly, we commemorated the 100 years of Satyagraha which again was given
birth to in this province, KwaZulu-Natal, sparked off by Mahatma Gandhi being
thrown off a train in Pietermaritzburg. Together with the Prime Minister of
India, Manmohan Singh, we retraced the steps Gandhi took on the historical
train ride. The commemoration was honoured by the presence of our national
leadership led by President Thabo Mbeki. The young maidens of Ingcuce, who in
1876 asserted the right of every woman to choose their own boyfriends or
husbands. We have yet to commemorate this occasion.
Lastly, we said we would close the year with a spiritual journey of bringing
back the remains of Baba Moses Mabhida. Even as he was buried in 1986 both
President Oliver Tambo and President Samora Machel had said that this was a
temporary grave and that his final resting place would be in a free and
democratic South Africa.
On route from Mozambique last week, we stopped in Piet Retief, Mkhuze,
Empangeni, Stanger and made our final stop in Durban, where thousands of people
attended public events to pay homage to one of South Africa's most outstanding
leaders. We thank the people of our province.
Next year we will celebrate 40 years since Chief Albert Luthuli passed away
in 1967. It was Inkosi Luthuli as President of the African National Congress
who first made the call for the international isolation of Apartheid South
Africa as early as 1959. Inkosi Luthuli had a vision of a non-racial,
democratic and non-sexist South Africa at the time when this dream was believed
to be an impossibility.
Bringing world attention to our country, Inkosi Luthuli was visited by
Presidential candidate Robert Kennedy in 1966, who was assassinated two years
later.
Bring back the bones
Baba Mabhida's history reminds us of the Biblical verse, Book of Genesis
50:22.
In the Book of Genesis 50:22, it is said:
"Joseph remained in Eqypt in his father's house. Joseph lived 110 years. and
Joseph said to his brothers: "I am about to die but God will visit you and
bring you up and out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham to Isaac
and to Jacob." Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear saying, "God will
surely visit you and you shall carry up my bones from here." So Joseph died
being 110 years old. They embalmed him and he was put in a coffin in
Egypt."
Almost four hundred years later in the book of Exodus 13, 17-19, it is
said:
"Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the sons of
Israel solemnly swear, saying "God will surely visit you and you shall take my
bones from here."
We have now brought back the remains of Baba Mabhida to rest in the newly
established Heroes Acre in Slangspruit, Pietermaritzburg. In that Heroes Acre,
there shall be a wall of remembrance where Baba Mabhida will occupy place of
pride.
With these few words I would like to say welcome to KwaZulu Natal, Mr
President, and your national executive. I would like to also welcome all
leaders of political parties, trade unions and the civic movement. To our
international delegates, members of the diplomatic corps, business people and
potential investors I say welcome to KwaZulu Natal, the caring province. Baba
Mabhida you have come back home to a free South Africa that you struggled for.
You're struggle was not in vain.
Welcome home son of the soil.
Rest easy, your work is done.
I thank you
Enquiries:
Farhana Ismail
Cell: 082 889 1278
Jeff Hassan
Cell: 082 884 1872
Issued by: KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
2 December 2006
Source: SAPA
