Tag: SA Liberation

PRESIDENT RAMAPHOSA PAYS TRIBUTE TO LIBERATION STRUGGLE HERO SHANTHIE NAIDOO TWEEDIE

President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed his sadness at the passing of liberation struggle stalwart Shantavothie “Shanthie” Naidoo Tweedie at the age of 91. President Ramaphosa offers his deep condolences to Mr Dominic Tweedie, the Naidoo family and friends and comrades of Shanthie Naidoo Tweedie who lived in exile in the United Kingdom from 1972 to […]

FARE THEE WELL, BRA JOE

Bra Joe Latakgomo was a gentle giant of Black journalism. Orally, he was not a man of many words. Almost a reserved personality, he treated people with respect. Even his objects of scorn, such as apartheid and its white establishments, he condemned with a sense of correcting, rather than ridiculing.  Joseph “Joe” Seshego Latakgomo breathed his last breath at Kalafong Hospital in Atteridgeville near Pretoria on […]

WHAT ON EARTH QUALIFIES HELEN ZILLE AS AN ‘ANTI-APARTHEID ACTIVIST’?

South African history records Saths Cooper as one of the SASO Nine — student leaders arrested in 1974 for their ‘anti-apartheid’ activities. Cooper was not “so-called.” He was, and remains, a central figure in the Black Consciousness Movement and a true liberation activist. Yet, in stark contrast, Helen Zille is also labeled an “anti-apartheid activist” […]

SPOKES, A SELFLESS SERVANT OF THE STRUGGLE THROUGH THE MEDIA

We buried Theophilus Sjuja Spokes Mashiyane. He was my childhood friend, a university mate and later a media colleague. We buried the bones, flesh and blood. But his spirit lives in our memories, hearts and souls. Friends and family spoke about his life, his achievements and intentions. However, I am not too sure if the […]

AZAPO’S OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT RAMAPHOSA

Greetings Mr President, To act in this uncharacteristic manner is a desperate attempt to grab your highly contested and congested attention and redirect it to the voice of the voiceless. The fact that you cut your political teeth in the Black Consciousness Movement (BCM), of which I remain an activist, gives me the assurance that […]

THE VISIBLE COUNCIL, GUIDED BY THE INVISIBLE

For three days and two nights, tucked away in the quiet embrace of a farm, I sat with men who have lived more than half a century of South Africa’s unspoken histories. It was less a gathering than a council. Visible in our laughter, debate, and storytelling, yet guided always by an invisible hand of […]

SPECIAL TRIBUTE TO MOLEFE PHETO, THE SELFLESS LEGEND OF THE LIBERATION STRUGGLE

Molefe Pheto was an outstanding person who contributed to the (national liberation) struggle, and in the arts. A cultural activist of note who was an author, a teacher, a coordinator who touched many lives, wherever he has passed. The committee comprised people from different genres, artists, poets, business people, journalists, struggle veterans, authors, film and […]

ZAMA-ZAMAS OF THE LIBERATION STRUGGLE

An exploration of memory, myth, and the posthumous mining of liberation credentials Gold from the Grave These days, it seems that to die in South Africa is to finally receive your liberation stripes. A friend sent me a link to a social media tribute the other day. The dearly departed was someone we had all […]

THE DAY THE STRUGGLE WENT CORPORATE

There was no drumroll. No grand announcement. No whisper even. But it happened — quietly, suddenly, and irrevocably. Somewhere between the last exile’s return and the first BEE deal signed, the South African liberation struggle changed outfits. It swapped khaki fatigues and wood-handled AKs for navy-blue suits, Montblanc pens, and private equity portfolios. That day, […]

DR GOMOLEMO MOKAE’S 2ND MEMORIAL

Yesterday May the 7th 2025, our now crossed over Cde Dr Gomolemo Mokae was remembered in a heart warming ceremony at the State Theatre in Pretoria. Those who loved and lived with him came from far and near to honor this Gentle Giant who was an Octopus of a soul. Dr Mokae fitted everywhere as […]

AZANIAN VETERANS CONVENTION (AZAVEC)

The Black Consciousness Movement (BCM) played a pivotal role in the struggle for freedom in this country. Through a variety of organisations such as the SA Students Organisation (SASO), The Black People’s Convention (BPC), the Azanian People’s Organisation (AZAPO), students, workers and cutural workers organisations, the BCM was the trailblazer in the front line of […]

HAVE POWER RELATIONS CHANGED?

As South Africa marks Human Rights Day, March 21 in remembrance of Sharpeville Massacre of 1960, the question stands: has the power relations picture changed? Margaret Thatcher said there were a lot of nobodies in the UK who are somebodies in SA. Applying sanctions would increase a lot of nobodies in the UK. Thatcher’s rationale […]