We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the government, the South African Communist Party, the African National Congress and other Alliance partners, our traditional leaders and the people of the Eastern Cape and South Africa at large for their unwavering support during the 32nd annual commemoration of Chris Hani, held in Cofimvaba, Chris Hani District, on Thursday, 10 April 2025.
We thank the SACP in particular for walking this painful journey with our family for over 30 years. The SACP has stood firm in every legal battle, from the trial where the assassins were convicted, to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission where we successfully opposed amnesty for the assassins, from the high courts in multiple cases to the highest courts, including the Supreme Court of Appeal and the Constitutional Court, and through multiple parole processes where we consistently opposed parole, and for doing so selflessly, even when facing the challenge of legal fees.
My name is Mphatheli Hani, the second-born of Mbuyiselo Hani, the eldest brother to Thembisile (Chris Hani). I am the spokesperson of the Hani Family in Sabalele. It has come to our attention as the Chris Hani Family in Sabalele that there is a statement circulating in our name. That is not our statement, and neither have we been consulted about what it says and alleges. We dismiss both the statement and all the malicious allegations made with contempt. We have decided to set the record straight, in consultation with my Aunt, Mrs Limpho Hani, the wife of my late Uncle Thembisile Martin “Chris” Hani. Aunt Limpho is the only surviving parent in the immediate family.
First and foremost, I have been handling all challenges and support for the family since our parents passed in 2008 and 2012 respectively. This is a statement of fact known by everyone in the family. Inherently, as part of the responsibilities I discharged and still continue with up to today, is to represent the Hani family in the Eastern Cape on all matters confined to the legacy of the late Thembisile Martin “Chris” Hani. This has been a well-documented practice for the last three decades.
Throughout the period in allusion, I have worked, and continue doing so, in collaboration with Aunt Limpho Hani, the wife of the late South African Communist Party General Secretary. In this regard, all members of this family from his immediate family of Gilbert and Nomayisi (Thembisile’s parents) to the extended family have always been consulted through established family protocols already in reference. The 32nd-year annual commemoration is not an exception, as all family members were consulted through myself, as has been the case.
I put on record without any equivocation that in all these years there has never been an issue until certain dubious characters purporting to be Chris Hani’s daughters made wild allegations that were subsequently investigated by the Home Affairs department. The findings are in the public domain (see the attached documents from the Department of Home Affairs). The three individuals in question have never disputed the findings that are in the public domain. Shockingly, up to now, none of them has ever gone for DNA tests to substantiate their claims with expert evidence. They must just do the right thing. One of the girls claims to be a granddaughter to Gilbert Hani’s eldest sons. Gilbert had three sons: Mbuyiselo, Thembisile and Nkosana Hani. None of them is her grandfather.
Furthermore, our preoccupation and chief priority now and going forward is the approval of the application for the inquest on the assassination of Hani. We are dismayed that these entitled individuals claiming to be family seem to trivialise such an extremely important matter for the Hani family and the nation. This is a very deliberate act of shameful betrayal, and we condemn it in the strongest possible terms.
Above all these aberrations, the Hani family profoundly welcomes all commitments made by the government in a recent annual event in Cofimvaba, Sabalele. Amongst those are:
- The commitment to expedite all processes of approval of the application for inquest.
- The escalation of the annual commemoration to be a national event, through which service delivery shall be rolled out to communities throughout the country.
- The finalisation of the second phase of construction of the Chris Hani Liberation Route.
- The renovation and staffing of the local clinic in Sabalele village.
- The building of sporting facilities in some of the schools in the village of his birth.
We are firmly convinced that these commitments evince the values and principles that the late General Secretary of the SACP fought and died for.
In addition, we profoundly appreciate Aunt Limpho’s bold decision to take the commemoration to Cofimvaba, where the life and times of Thembisile started. Furthermore, we are very humbled by the overwhelming support of His Excellency, the Deputy President of the country and the Honourable Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, in ensuring the success of the event.
The people of Chris Hani District Municipality, in particular in his home village, are very grateful, especially since the wife came down with the family. These are sentiments entailed in messages of support given to the family after the event.
For us as a family, the commitments in allusion made by the government evince the values and principles that the late General Secretary of the SACP fought and died for.
We shall continue to defend this family, in particular Aunt Limpho (Mamophakathi) and her children, against any personal attacks and allegations that are not tested nor verified anywhere. The family distances itself from all the false and unjustifiable claims made against Aunt Limpho. They border on nothing else but the sheer pursuit of self-entitlement and greed. Their actions are reminiscent of a seemingly stubborn tendency by some to abuse the name of Chris Hani for self-enrichment and political expediency. All these actions are tantamount to reputational damage and must be shamed.
The respect for the elderly, especially women, remains the cornerstone of this family since time immemorial. Chris Hani’s exemplary life remains an ever-present testimony of very strong family values, humility, respect and selflessness. We have all been brought along that line. Anything contrary to these established family traditions remains foreign (Ngumgqakhwe).
We are a family that holds marriage sacred. In the same vein, it is common cause that a married man’s family is his wife and children. Anyone else matters at the behest of the wife. Marriage is an institution that must be protected at all costs.
In conclusion, the Hani family remains in shocked disbelief that none amongst the so-called family, seemingly more than anyone else, ever supported Limpho and her children in the protracted, grueling cases that lasted for more than three decades. Throughout this excruciatingly painful period, she cast a lone figure in all court appearances. It is the South African Communist Party that has been an ever-present source of support. The Hani family shall ever be indebted to the SACP and many people locally and internationally for the consistent support during very hard times.
May his soul continue to rest in power.
This statement was issued by Mphatheli Hani: Spokesperson of the Hani Family (Sabalele, Eastern Cape)
