Air Force Base (AFB) Waterkloof was dutifully sombre yesterday (Wednesday 25 September) when the mortal remains of nearly 50 liberation fighters who passed away in exile were returned to South Africa from Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Amongst those receiving the remains were Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Angie Motshekga, and Deputy Ministers, Major General (Retired) Bantubonke Holomisa and Richard Hlophe along with SA Army Chief of Corporate Staff, Lieutenant General Michael Ramantshwana, and the Chief of the SA Air Force, Lieutenant General Wiseman Mbambo.
Their arrival was another completed step in government’s Resistance and Liberation Heritage Route Project (RLHR). It is, according official government information, “a national memory project aimed at commemorating, celebrating, educating, promoting, preserving, conserving and providing a durable testament of South African’s road to freedom”.
The remains were tracked down and exhumed in Zambia and Zimbabwe ahead being flown to South Africa. SA National Defence Force (SANDF) Defence Corporate Communication (DCC) has it the return of the remains to South Africa is thanks to the joint efforts of the Department of Defence and Military Veterans (DODMV) and the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC).
Ahead of being handed back to family for final interment on home ground, the deceased liberation fighters will the honoured with a repatriation and restitution homecoming ceremony at the Freedom Park heritage site south-west of the Pretoria central business district (CBD) tomorrow (Friday, 27 September). The ceremony, with President Cyril Ramaphosa set to attend, is part of South Africa’s Heritage Month. This year, aptly, its theme is “Celebrating the lives of our heroes and heroines who laid down their lives for our freedom”.
Speaking to SANews, Motshekga said the handover of the remains was a moment of sombre reflection on the sacrifices it took for South Africa to gain its freedom.
“The message is of gratitude to…families who have daughters, sons, fathers and mothers who gave the ultimate price for our freedom. We are able to be here because they gave the final sacrifice. It is also for us as a people, to remember where we came from because this didn’t come easy. There are people who died, and we should not be casual about how we use that power because it is a power that came from people who gave their lives,” Motshekga said.
“The plan is to now do mass repatriations and that’s what has been in the plans for the past two years. But because it takes time, we’ll see if we can do it in gaps of two years. This has been a good lesson in terms of mass repatriations and when we move to other countries…we will have learnt the lessons on how to deal with most of the issues,” she said.
In a statement on Monday, the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) said that following the arrival of the remains, government will host the official homecoming ceremony to mark the return of these liberation fighters to the country of their birth.
“Thereafter, reburial ceremonies will be held in the provinces of their origin, ensuring they are laid to rest with the dignity and respect they deserve,” said the GCIS.
The Exile Repatriation Programme is guided by the National Policy of Repatriation and Restitution of Human Remains and Heritage Objects of 2021. This policy was adopted as part of South Africa’s broader commitment to ensuring that former liberation fighters who died in exile are returned home and buried with dignity.
The repatriation process is being conducted in close collaboration with regional governments, historical experts, and local communities to guarantee a respectful and well-coordinated return.
