Programme directors and presiding priest
Mrs Makhathini and the entire family
KwaZulu Natal Premier, Dr Zweli Mkhize
Ministers, Deputy Ministers and MECs
ANC National Executive Council members, provincial leadership of the ANC and alliance partners
Representatives of Southern African Development Community (SADC) and all foreign dignitaries present
Comrades and friends
We have come together for an occasion that reminds us of our sad but also very heroic and inspiring history. Comrade Johnstone Mfanafuthi Makhathini has finally come home. After a long and arduous journey and a lifetime of struggle and sacrifice, his mortal remains have returned to the soil from which he came, and which he loved so dearly.
This occasion therefore reminds us of the bravery, sacrifice and dedication of many patriots who gave their all for freedom. It reminds us that many died in foreign lands, working very hard to ensure that this country and its people would be free. As the South African people, black and white, this reburial service enables us to celebrate the lives of those who loved this country more than life itself.
The land to which we return Comrade Makhathini’s remains today is much changed from the land he left nearly 50 years ago. We are able to now lay him to rest in a free South Africa, the land of the freedom he fought for until 3 December 1988, when he passed on at about 12h00 hours after a short illness at the University Teaching hospital in Lusaka, Zambia.
The outstanding and legendary teacher, activist and highly skilled diplomat, had passed away tragically leaving his family, comrades and friends in shock and pain. His was a life well lived, a life full of dedication and commitment, a life of a highly energetic fighter for freedom and democracy.
Working tirelessly together with other great leaders of his generation, Comrade Johnny Makhathini created the conditions for the achievement of our freedom. He used powerful tools, his political acumen, strategic thinking, communications as well as networking skills to promote the cause of freedom and justice in international platforms.
All who lived and worked with him will recall that as ANC representative in Algeria, he was highly effective, making the message of freedom heard in all corners, from Algeria to the Western Europe.
Comrade Johnny Makhathini was also a respected figure in the Organisation of African Unity, pushing the agenda of the unity of the African people and the fight against apartheid. He distinguished himself as the head of the ANC mission in the United Nations. He was highly influential and was known by every diplomat worth his salt.
ANC archives show that he was often accused of making the ANC dominate United Nations discussions. That is how effective he was as the spokesperson of the ANC and of this country. Articulate and forthright, his statements in United Nations meetings were always straight to the point. An example is his address to a United Nations Security Council meeting in New York on 4 November 1977, after a weak resolution against the apartheid regime, he said:
“The resolution that has just been adopted is too little and has come too late. The council, representing the international community, has missed an opportunity to erase from the surface of the earth the iniquities portrayed in the picture behind you, Mr President.
“However, we feel that, while it is too late for peaceful change, there is still time for the western countries to join us in a common struggle, a common battle against the common enemy. It is important to stress that our people have come to the conclusion reached by their counterparts in various countries that have been placed in a similar situation, that genuine freedom cannot be granted, it can only be grabbed”.
We must recall and celebrate one of his most outstanding achievements. As a leading figure in the movement’s international campaign to isolate apartheid South Africa over many decades, Johnny Makhathini left behind what was probably the largest global solidarity movement of our time. There has undoubtedly never been any one movement as diverse as the anti-apartheid movement, either in South Africa itself, or across the world. That movement did not come together by accident. It was the consequence of hard work, sustained engagement, and the cultivation of a compelling vision for a new society.
Comrade Johnny bequeathed to us a network of friends and supporters in every corner of the world, whose collective effort was critical to the defeat of apartheid and the achievement of democracy. Even up to this day we tap into that network of friends, using them to help us build our country. And what should we learn from Comrade Johnny?
He taught us that there is no greater human calling than to struggle for freedom. Life itself meant nothing to him, if he could not be free in the land of his birth. Were Comrade Johnny still alive he would probably tell us a lot that is wrong about the manner in which we project ourselves and our country internationally, for he was a master international relations strategist.
We should learn from his qualities as we seek to build a country that can make an impact on the global stage, whether in multilateral forums or when dealing with other countries at a bilateral level. Our future diplomats should give themselves time to study his work and his legacy and to learn from it, in order to represent this country and its people better abroad, to enable us to achieve the economic growth and development that we desire.
Ladies and gentlemen, as a young democracy we are still building our heritage. We have to introduce our children and their children to the stories about our national heroes such as Comrade Johnny Makhathini, for them to appreciate their contribution to freedom in our country. We appreciate the contribution of this province in taking us a step further in creating this new national heritage architecture for the country. This service therefore reminds us that our heritage, symbols and monuments must be visible, as a powerful nation building tool.
While having achieved a lot in many spheres since the ushering in of democracy in 1994, we may have moved slowly in some areas, for example in creating new national monuments. We must have monuments which indicate that we are a people with a certain history. This is a subject we must discuss and act on fast, but with care and sensitivity.
When walking in our major cities, we must see monuments that tell us that there once lived an Oliver Tambo or a Moses Mabhida who literally worked day and night to ensure that we can live in a free South Africa, all of us, black and white. The graves of Oliver Tambo, Johnny Makhathini, Moses Mabhida, Walter Sisulu and a host of others bear testimony to the character of leadership that this country has produced in its history.
They are a reminder of the strides we have made to achieve a society that is striving so hard to achieve prosperity in a non-racial, non-sexist and democratic South Africa. South Africans must ponder this question, and working together we must forge a future of unity, togetherness and a common heritage which accepts the history of this country in its totality.
All South Africans, young and old, must truly understand and appreciate the history of the country and must know illustrious the men and women who fought for freedom and justice.
Compatriots, part of building this new heritage is to write our history, especially the missing history of the struggle for freedom. And any history written about the triumphs and tribulations of the struggle for a free South Africa would be incomplete without mention of Johnny Makhathini. I challenge the youth to take up this project, and record the history of this country for posterity.
Fellow South Africans and friends, Johnny Makhathini, like many of our heroes, did not live to see the dawn of freedom. Yet nothing consoles us more than the knowledge that we are laying him to rest in a land that is free from racial oppression and from the animosities of our past.
In a statement on his passing, the ANC said in 1988: “With the departure of Comrade Johnny Makhathini, the African National Congress and the oppressed people of South Africa have lost a most dedicated and talented fighter and leader who gave his whole life in the service of his people and country.
“His passing leaves a gap in our ranks which will be difficult to fill. His shining qualities will continue to inspire his colleagues and the younger generation with the added determination to complete his life's work”.
To the family, it is painful that Comrade Johnny did not come back to you alive, but he is home, he is with us. We celebrate his memory and his spirit. We will always celebrate his life, his teachings and his legacy.
We will always be proud of what we learned from him and of his role in the liberation movement and also in our country.
I would like to therefore say, on behalf of the government and people of South Africa say: lala ngoxolo Gxabhashe, usubuyile ekhaya ekugcineni!
Let us all cherish the good memories and wish this patriot and great South African a final fond farewell.
I thank you.
Issued by: The Presidency
27 February 2010
