Struggle stalwart Riot Mkhwanazi laid to rest
Mkhwanazi (83) died last Sunday after a long illness and is survived by his wife and three children as well as seven grandchildren
HUNDREDS gathered on Sunday morning in a sweltering marquee on the University of Zululand sports fields to attend the special provincial funeral for struggle veteran Riot Makhomanisi Mkhwanazi.
Mkhwanazi (83) died last Sunday after a long illness and is survived by his wife and three children as well as seven grandchildren.
KZN Health MEC Dr Sibongiseni Dlomo opened proceedings with a shout of ‘Viva, Comrade Mkhwanazi, Viva!’ before breaking into struggle songs.
Among the speakers at the funeral were ANC veterans League Provincial Chairman Peter Dlomo, ANC KZN chairman and economic development MEC Sihla Zikalala with a farewell message from KZN Premier Willies Mchunu.
The eulogy was read by President Jacob Zuma, who last week described Mkhwanazi as ‘a big brother’.
Zuma and Mkhwanazi spent ten years behind bars together on Robben Island and worked together in exile afterwards.
‘I am honoured to have been given this chance to say a final farewell to my father,’ said Mkhwanazi’s son, Thokozani.
‘Dad always made us feel safe. Even one day when word came through that he was going to be ‘taken out’.
‘He fetched his AK-47 from where he had hid it, and stood guard the whole night, protecting his family,’ he said.
‘He could have relocated, but he decided to stay. He refused to be a victim of his circumstances.’
Mkhwanazi was awarded the Order of Mendi for bravery by Zuma in 2014. Zuma praised Mkhwanazi for his years of dedicated service to the people of South Africa.
‘I knew him personally and valued him deeply as an older brother, a friend, prison mate, and disciplined comrade. I can attest to his bravery and resilience and dedication to the cause,’ he said.
‘He was never broken by prison, neither was he discouraged or overcome with the difficulties of life in exile, and on his release from Robben Island he continued where he left off in politics, demonstrating his struggle was only deferred while incarcerated. Today we lay to rest one of the best of our movement,’ Zuma said.
Officials confirmed that about 3500 people attended, including struggle veterans, Mkhwanazi’s extended family, and a large contingent of MK veterans.
Zuma spoke for more than an hour, sharing anecdotes and stories from their past, often drawing laughs from the crowd, before accompanying the family to Mkhwanazi’s home where he was buried.
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