MALEMA GETS LASHING
AbaThembu king also comes under fire
A CEREMONY marking the reburial of the remains of four uMkhonto weSizwe guerillas at Naledi Hall in Soweto was turned into a political circus as speakers used the platform to attack Julius Malema and AbaThembu King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo.
The remains of Nceba Snuma, Caswell Khumalo, Richard Ngwenya and Matthews Mmutlane, who were killed by SA security forces in the late 1980s, were reburied at Westpark Cemetery in Johannesburg yesterday.
Dressed in military fatigues and ANC colours, young and old chanted Struggle songs during the service.
Snuma was killed in a bomb explosion, while Khumalo and Ngwenya survived but were later shot by police. Their bodies were burned and dumped near Rustenburg.
Mmutlane was also killed in a bomb explosion in Limpopo in 1987. Mmutlane was buried as a pauper.
Poet Mzwakhe Mbuli, who also recited a poem to honour the four heroes, said Dalindyebo was “out of order”.
“I don’t understand why people are already forming new parties when we are still searching for our Struggle heroes who disappeared,” Mbuli said in an apparent swipe at Malema.
He told Sowetan after his address that he was not interested in entertaining Dalindyebo’s statements.
He said “attention-seekers and opportunists ” should respect Nelson Mandela Month.
“This is Nelson Mandela Month and I wish during this time we all show unity and respect him. During this Mandela fever, let there be no one who tramples upon his legacy.
“Though we differ in opinions, people should stop trading insults. It’s a cease fire moment.”
uMkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans Association president Kebby Maphatsoe also took a swipe at Malema, without mentioning him by name.
“It’s very ironic that people steal the country’s resources because they want to portray government as corrupt. They then turn around and claim to be economic freedom fighters,” Maphatsoe said.
Malema, who was expelled from the ANC, launched his Economic Freedom Fighters movement in Johannesburg last week.
Minister of Arts and Culture Paul Mashatile also used the platform to promote and canvass support for the ANC.
“Today we celebrate the lives of the four Struggle heroes who died fighting. We all know that apartheid police were cruel because they would kill and bury people where we do not know,” he said.
“I’m glad their remains were found and now they would be buried with other heroes in dignity.”
During the procession to the cemetery one of the people dressed in military gear was seen polishing a car and boots using a DA T-shirt.
Meanwhile, Caswell’s mother Thwana Khumalo, who died during a memorial service of the four on Thursday, was also laid to rest yesterday.