Rest in peace, gentle giant
THE following speech was delivered by mayor Patricia de Lille at a special tribute session to Ahmed Kathrada at a full council meeting yesterday:
Mr Speaker. It is indeed a sad day as we are still reeling from the loss of a gentle giant, Struggle stalwart, and a guardian of our hard-won freedom, Ahmed Kathrada.
We have lost a wonderful soul and a man who fought courageously and with conviction against the unjust forces of the apartheid regime.
To honour Uncle Kathy’s contribution in attaining our freedom, in 2015 the City of Cape Town awarded the highest honour to Uncle Kathy – the Freedom of the City – where he joined fellow Freeman Tata Madiba and Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu.
We were honoured to have Uncle Kathy call Cape Town his home for the past few decades.
He remained a counsellor to our young country in the project of reconciliation.
I remember a heart-rending moment when, during one of our Inclusive City dialogues, Uncle Kathy gave a powerful testimonial recounting how he arrived at his determination to build a non-racial society.
He recounted visiting the former death camps of Nazi Germany, where millions of people were murdered.
He described seeing lampshades made with the skin of murdered Jews and understood in that moment the dark cul de sac that the impulse and logic of racial essentialism leads to.
His humility, grace, and quiet determination are a reminder of the very best qualities of servant leadership.
We mourn a great man, an icon, and a guardian of our freedom who continued to speak truth to power till his last days.
Hamba Kahle Uncle Kathy. Rest in peace.