‘It’s happy and sad moment’: minister Motshekga on receiving remains of liberation fighters who died in exile

Defence and military veterans minister Angie Motshekga had mixed emotions after receiving the remains of liberation fighters who died in Zimbabwe and Zambia on Wednesday.

As South Africa commemorates 30 years of democracy, Motshekga and the department of sport, arts and culture led the repatriation ceremony where 42 former liberation fighters who died in exile were received at Waterkloof Air Force Base in Pretoria.

Seven more bodies are expected to arrive after undergoing DNA testing. “I find it very emotional, personally, and I’m also very grateful we were able to return the remains of people who made the ultimate sacrifice for us to be where we are,” Motshekga said in an interview with SABC.

“It’s a happy moment that we’ve been able to reconnect and assist the families in getting the remains, but it’s also emotional because it takes us back to where we come from. It’s a happy and a sad moment,” Motshekga said in an interview with SABC.

She said family members of the struggle heroes who died were happy and grateful to the government for helping them bring the remains of their loved ones. “Some families who had means were able to go and get the remains; there were also plans by other communities [to bring back the remains of their loved ones]. However, the government decided to do a mass repatriation. This programme took two years because we had to do proper identification, contact families, and also work with governments from those countries.

“It was really nice to interact with the families. This is a moment for them to find closure, and for us to get another opportunity to thank the families and reconnect with our past.”

Motshekga said the government would like to bring closure to more families, but they may not be able to recover some of the remains, especially in countries such as Angola. Nevertheless, they are working hard to ensure families find closure. “I interacted with a family whose child died in a forest, and their body could not be retrieved. However, they just want to visit that forest and find closure,” she said.

“Closure will come in different ways; some may not be able to get remains, but they might have an opportunity to go and see where their loved ones died, and the government is prepared to assist them.”

Thembi Malao from the department of sport, arts, and culture said the department was doing this to help families find healing. “Our mandate is to preserve and protect our heritage. In this case, we are driven by the preamble of our constitution, which enjoins us to recognise the injustices of the past and to honour those who have suffered for us to have this freedom,” she said in an interview with Newzroom Afrika.

A homecoming ceremony will be hosted on Friday, and reburial ceremonies will be held in different provinces.

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