The Nelson Mandela Foundation (NMF) and representatives from various political parties on Sunday paid tribute to veterans of the liberation struggle at a special luncheon hosted by the former president.
NMF chairman Jakes Gerwel said the luncheon, held in a plush banquet hall at the top of the Sandton Convention Centre, was to celebrate South Africa’s ”glorious struggle” for liberation and democracy.
Speaking after him, African National Congress (ANC) secretary general Kgalema Mothlanthe said South Africans needed to be reminded ”once in a while to stop, to pause, and give thanks to veterans of our struggle”.
He told the about 1 200 veterans of mainly Umkhonto we Sizwe, the ANC’s liberation army and the Azanian People’s Liberation Army, Apla, that the lunch was a ”chance to give thanks for the opportunities you gave us”.
The Azanian People’s Organisation’s Chris Mokoditoa thanked the luncheon’s organisers for keeping history alive by honouring the veterans through the event.
The Congress of SA Trade Union’s general secretary (Cosatu), Zwelimzima Vavi, saluted the veterans as ”the living legends of our liberation struggle” and remembered the ”countless heroes and heroines” who died in the fight for freedom or who were not at the lunch.
He also reminded his audience, including President Thabo Mbeki, that the armed struggle was just one aspect of the larger struggle for liberation, in which Cosatu, its member unions and their predecessors played a major role in the face of strong state repression.
The Pan Africanist Congress’ (PAC) Thami ka Plaatje quoted Albert Einstein, saying younger South Africans only enjoyed what they had because they were standing on the shoulders of giants.
The last speaker, SA Communist Party (SACP) secretary general Blade Nzimande told the veterans ”we are what we are because of you… we are a free country today because of you”.
Paying tribute to the departed, he pointed out that April marked 10 years since the assassination of the SACP’s Chris Hani and the death of ANC stalwart OR Tambo as well as 50 years since the reconstitution of the SACP as an underground movement following its banning by apartheid authorities.
Among the high-profile dignitaries sitting with Mandela and his wife, Graca Machel, were Mbeki and veteran liberal politician Helen Suzman.
Other dignitaries included cabinet ministers such as Jeff Radebe and Kader Asmal as well as current and former PAC presidents Stanley Mogoba and Clarence Makwetu and Democratic Alliance MP Colin Eglin.
In between courses and speeches, guests were entertained by, among others, Yvonne Chaka Chaka, AV and Abigail Khubeka — who invited Deputy President Jacob Zuma on to the stage for a dance. – Sapa