South African families in Zimbabwe are preparing to exhume and repatriate the remains of political activists who died in exile. The effort aims to bring these individuals back to South Africa, honoring their legacy and allowing their families to lay them to rest in their home country.

 

Several South African families have traveled to Zimbabwe to exhume and repatriate the remains of political activists who died in exile and were buried there. The South African government, through the departments of Sport, Arts and Culture; Justice and Constitutional Development; and Defence and Military Veterans, will host an event to receive these remains. 

Members of the media are invited to apply for accreditation to cover the Exile Repatriation Project. The event will take place on September 25 at Hanger 10, Waterkloof Air Force Base, where the government will receive the remains of former liberation heroes and heroines who passed away in Zimbabwe and Zambia, as announced by the Government Communication and Information Systems.

The homecoming ceremony for the repatriated remains will be held under this year's Heritage Month theme: “Celebrating the lives of our heroes and heroines who laid down their lives for our freedom.”

Catherine Zikalala, a representative of the families, spoke to SABC News in Zimbabwe as she traveled to collect the remains of her relative, Edna Nomakosazana Mgabaza. Born in 1922 and passing away in 1987, Mgabaza was a nurse who worked in Zambia before moving to Zimbabwe, where she later died. Zikalala highlighted Mgabaza's role in supporting the African National Congress, noting that her contributions went beyond her medical profession to include logistics support for the liberation struggle.

Zikalala shared that while working at a hospital in Zambia, Mgabaza nursed South African freedom fighters, including Duma Nokwe, the ANC's Secretary General from 1958 to 1969. Nokwe passed away in her care, and after his death, Mgabaza moved to Harare, where she later died on October 16, 1987.

Zikalala commended the South African government for initiating the exhumation and repatriation process, emphasizing that this effort will provide much-needed closure for the families involved.

Zikalala told SABC, “People left to fight for South Africa’s freedom and went to various parts of the world. Bringing their remains back home provides us with closure. We are grateful to the government for taking this step, which has been in the works for the past five years.”

How do you feel about the government's efforts to repatriate the remains of political activists who fought for freedom? Do you think this step will provide the families with the closure they need?