President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to receive the human remains of liberation stalwarts who perished in combat whilst in exile.
“The repatriation headed by the Inter-Departmental Team is for the returning of the struggle stalwarts who died in Zambia and Zimbabwe and is scheduled to commence in Tshwane at the end of Heritage Month on 28 September 2024,” Presidential Spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya said.
The welcoming ceremony is scheduled to take place at the Waterkloof Air Force Base followed by the home coming ceremony in the form of a formal launch of the Repatriation and Restitution Programme.
The programme will take place at the Freedom Park Heritage Site and Museum.
“The repatriation is in line with the pronouncement by President Ramaphosa in the statement of the January 8, 2020, and subsequently SONA [State of the Nation Address].
“In that pronouncement, he made a commitment that the repatriation and reburial of liberation stalwarts, namely Dumalisile Nokwe and Florence Maphosho, in both Zambia and Basil February in Zimbabwe, would mark the Road to Freedom and Democracy. The two countries were strategically prioritized for the implementation of the project,” Mangwenya told a media briefing on Wednesday.
Heritage Month recognises aspects of South African culture which are both tangible and intangible: creative expression such as music and performances, historical inheritance and language, among others.
This year’s Heritage Month is convened under the theme: “Celebrating the lives of our heroes and heroines who laid down their lives for our freedom”.
The SA National Defence Force said it will play a pivotal role in utilising its Air Force resources to retrieve the remains of liberation martyrs from Zambia and Zimbabwe.
“We need to remember the supreme sacrifices they have paid, as did countless martyrs of our liberation struggle across all political formations that were fighting for our freedom”, said Defence and Military Veterans Minister Angie Motshekga.
