SA families in Zimbabwe to exhume, repatriate remains of political activists who died in exile

Following the event on Wednesday, a homecoming ceremony and the launch of the country-to-country repatriation model will be held next week at Freedom Park, in Tshwane.

This homecoming ceremony will be hosted under this year’s Heritage Month theme: “Celebrating the lives of our heroes and heroines who laid down their lives for our freedom.”

Meanwhile, Catherine Zikalala, one of the families’ representative spoke to SABC News in Zimbabwe where she has travelled to collect the mortal remains of her relative, Edna Nomakosazana Mgabaza who was born in 1922 and passed away in 1987.

Mgabaza, a nurse by profession, worked in Zambia before relocating to Zimbabwe where she later died.

“She was a nurse who was recruited to come and work in Zambia, so she came in the mid-60s. She was based in Zambia,” Zikalala told the SABC.

“While there, she was also helping with the logistics for the African National Congress because we had to fight the war from all fronts. The war for freedom was not just soldiers with their AK-47s.”

She said while working at the hospital in Zambia, Mgabaza was able to nurse South African freedom fighters including Duma Nokwe, secretary general of the African National Congress from 1958 to 1969.

“He actually passed away in her hands. When he passed away, she then moved to Harare from Zambia. She passed away here on October 16, 1987.”

Zikalala has saluted the South African government for initiating this exhumation and repatriation process, adding that the families need closure.

“People left and went to fight for freedom for South Africa and they went to different parts of the world. Once we bring their remains back home, we have closure. We are grateful to the government for having taken this step, it has been in the pipeline for the past five years,” she told SABC.

IOL