Speech by Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Michael Masutha, MP, Advocate, on the occasion of the handing over of the remains of former MK soldier Meschack Nyathi
Premier of the Limpopo Province Honourable Stan Mathabatha,
Deputy Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Mr Keppy Maphatsoe,
Executive Mayor of the Greater Tubatse Local Municipality, Councillor RS Mamekoa,
Members of the Nyathi Family,
Provincial leadership of the ANC and Alliance Partners,
Other political organisations present,
Members of MKMVA,
Comrades,
Ladies and gentlemen.
On 6 April 1979 at 6am on a Friday, a young heroic son of the South African revolutionary struggle, a dedicated opponent of racism, Apartheid and colonial domination, was hanged by the racist minority regime in Pretoria. Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu walked to the gallows with unflinching courage and defiance in the face of his own demise.
As the hangman was about to end his life, he said “Tell my people I love them and that they must continue the struggle, my blood will nourish the tree that will bear the fruits of freedom”. As we gather here today to hand over the mortal remains of Comrade Meschack Nyathi, we must remind ourselves of the life and times of other struggle heroes and heroines who made ultimate sacrifices so that we can enjoy this freedom.
On 28 March 2015, we handed over the mortal remains of another gallant fighter Comrade Bushy Lentsela in the North West. Today we are in Limpopo to close yet another chapter of this heroic son whose death helped to dismantle the monster called apartheid.
In as much as this traumatic process is reopening old wounds to the Nyathi family and all of us, we must find peace in knowing that today we finally find closure. Let’s be reminded that we are here, not only to handover comrade Meschack’s remains, but to pay tribute to this gallant fighter of our 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. We are therefore inspired by the sight of these mortal remains as his fallen spear must be picked up to continue our quest for economic emancipation.
This gallant fighter was militant and defiant to the end and died with his boots on, than to be on his knees against the total onslaught of the murderers of the security police. Comrade Meschack belonged to that magnificent brave generation which never hesitated to act during the difficult times in the terrible but roaring 80’s.
He traded his family comfort and tranquillity for the inspiration of freedom songs for in his generation they were inscribed in the consciousness of many and in his street and community, they resonated with those we acknowledge as the masses.
This was so because they were the engine of our revolution. Inspired by the spear of the nation they invited a better tomorrow that we are now living in. Like Maya Angelou, he lived by the dictum that “while one may encounter defeats, one must never be defeated”.
Today I want us to take a deeper look into the historic circumstances under which these mortal remains are being handed over to the Nyathi family. Meshack Komsasa Nyathi was one of five MK members shot dead in an ambush by members of the security forces near Alldays, Limpopo on 03 August 1988.
The five deceased were all buried at the time of death as unidentified paupers at Tshikota cemetery in Louis Trichardt / Makhado. The Missing Person Task Team (MPTT) 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 are alive to the fact that 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. It therefore remains relevant that we continue to pursue this vision as part of nation building efforts.
Program Director
We must be reminded that the apartheid regime passed a number of laws since the National Party took over in 1948 as a means to give the system of apartheid some semblance of legality and these are laws which we have abolished since 1994. 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 Meschack fought against, to ensure the freedom and democracy of all our people. This was basically the broad repressive environment occasioned by fierce State security force’s brutality against the defenceless majority of our people notably starting with the Sharpeville massacre.
Daily our people were denied basic human rights and the result was the huge inequalities across race, gender and class that we are still grappling with. Thus today when we speak of affirmative action in particular and transformation in general, we refer to reversing this legacy which endured centuries but was intensified in the years of apartheid brutality since 1948.
Today it seems a luxury to be involved in the liberation of our country or in politics. This occasion reminds us that we dare not betray this noble historic endeavour that this comrade paid the ultimate price for.
As the ANC, politics to us is about continuation of the liberation struggle to free our people from the legacy of apartheid and to us there is no better fitting tribute to this gallant fighter of our freedom and democracy. In the same vain we undertake as his mortal remains lie here before us, that we will endeavour to ensure the completion of the struggle for which he died at the hands of the atrocious SADF.
Comrades,
We know others have misled our people by mischievously claiming that we have not achieved anything since 1994 as propaganda to demobilise our people. On the contrary our 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 which this cadre did not live to enjoy.
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 over 500 names of those who died during the conflicts of the past. The Missing Persons Task Team in the NPA has 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.
I must also me 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.
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 leave you with the words of the late OR Tambo when he explained the ANC’s decision on armed struggle, he said "What I condemn, with all the vehemence I can muster, is the fact that for three quarters of a century we have been victims of white minority rule, which has progressively become more violent against us up to the point where it assumes the forms we are witnessing. Some of us don’t like violence at all.
I have an abhorrence of violence, I even take insects out of the bath. But we are forced into violence. I, for example, won’t hunt to kill because I do not like to kill. We are not fighting against people, we are fighting against a system”.
Thank you!
