President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to receive the human remains of liberation stalwarts who perished in exile while fighting for the liberation and freedom of South Africa.
“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 Airforce base followed by the homecoming ceremony in the form of a formal launch of the Repatriation and Restitution Programme.
The event will take place at the Freedom Park Heritage Site and Museum, in Tshwane.
The repatriation is in line with the pronouncement by President Ramaphosa on January 8, 2020 during the 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 Zambia and Basil February in Zimbabwe, would mark the Road to Freedom and Democracy. The two countries were strategically prioritised for the implementation of the project,” Magwenya told a media briefing recently.
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 theme pays tribute to the many struggle stalwarts who gave up their lives for the freedom enjoyed today.
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