Remains of MK soldier buried in EL after 35 years

THE remains of revolutionary uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) soldier Pascal Mlamli Macamba who was buried in exile 35 years ago, were finally buried in his home soil of East London over the weekend.

Macamba’s official send-off ceremony took place on Saturday at the Braelyn Hall, while his remains were buried at the Cambridge Cemetery.

Macamba who was born in 1957 in Duncan Village was a political activist that left the country for Angola at a tender age of 23.

He succumbed to cerebral malaria and died while he was undergoing military training in Germany in 1982. His remains were flown to Angola were he lay buried until August 30 this year.

Last month, the MEC of sport, recreation, arts and culture, Pemmy Majodina led a delegation and Macamba’s family members to his resting place at Mulemba in Luanda, Angola, to exhume and repatriate his remains.

Majodina said they heard about Macamba through his mother, Irene Nondleko Macamba, who had knocked on their doors for years asking for help to bring his remains home.

“When other MK cadres returned home, Macamba wasn’t with them. This entire process [repatriation] has been an emotional one.

“Seeing the bones of someone who left the country to fight for its freedom but didn’t live long enough to see it, has been quite painful. But this journey was good,” said Majodina.

Sadly, Macamba’s mother died before her son’s remains were returned.

In a tear-inducing tribute, Macamba’s friend, Shadrack Ganda shared how he and Macamba had endured horrendous torture by the then apartheid special forces.

“They tortured us until we passed out,” said Ganda.

As a fallout of the June 16 uprising, Macamba was detained and severely tortured and charged. However he was eventually acquitted.

Fearing for his life after the student boycotts at the University of Fort Hare, with the then South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and the Ciskei police threatening to jail him for his political persuasions, Macamba skipped the country and went into exile.

Speaking at the send-off ceremony, the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said Macamba’s family was fortunate to have him returned, as the remains of most people who died in exile would never be found because of the difficulties encountered during exhumation and repatriation of their remains.

Mapisa-Nqakula also encouraged those who were part of the struggle to share their stories, whether in a book or telling others, to help them heal.

“When comrade Charles [Nqakula] started writing his book, I pushed him to do it because I knew he needed to talk about his personal experiences in order to heal,” she said.

Macamba’s cousin, former Buffalo City Metro mayor Zukiswa Ncitha thanked all those who were involved in bringing Macamba home.—