Latest news with #UmkhontoweSizwe
The Citizen
03-06-2025
- The Citizen
Not every story needs to be a struggle story
The real heroes of the struggle remain silent, while others craft fiction for fame. Let's honour truth, not myth, to preserve the integrity of our shared past. General view at the Handing Over and Reburial Ceremony of Umkhonto weSizwe freedom fighters, Comrades Benjamin Moloise and Abraham Mngomezulu, at Orlando Communal Hall on May 03, 2025 in Soweto, South Africa. (Photo by Gallo Images/Fani Mahuntsi) These days, it seems that to die in South Africa is to finally receive your liberation stripes. A friend sent me a link to a social media tribute the other day. The dearly departed was someone we had all known, an ever-present figure in the entertainment scene, known more for their fashion statements and lavish brunches than for their political convictions. But there it was, typed with deep conviction: 'She was an MK operative, underground since her teens. A real soldier of the struggle.' Another funeral, another surprise unveiling of yet another 'former operative'. It's become such a pattern that one starts to wonder if uMkhonto weSizwe was, unbeknown to us, bigger than the SA Police Service, the army and Eskom combined. Welcome to the world of the zama zamas of the struggle. Those who, like illegal miners operating in the shadows, emerge only in the haze of incense and praise poetry, often just after the obituaries have been filed. Umkhonto weSizwe – The Spear of the Nation. Once a name that evoked quiet respect, nervous admiration and sometimes fear. People trained in Angola, the Soviet Union, Mozambique and East Germany. ALSO READ: Chinese embassy honours struggle stalwart Dr Tlou Cholo Some were part of cells inside the country. Committed, trained, ideological. And most kept quiet because silence was survival. There were codes, protocols, drop-offs, safe houses. I recall one woman working as a nurse in Lusaka. She spoke little, listened a lot. Years later, we discovered she coordinated three safe passages into the Eastern Cape and trained two units. She never once referred to herself as a cadre. The true underground was invisible by design. The danger was real. Names could mean death. To be known then was to be dead. And yet now, somehow, in the democratic glow, everyone was underground. South Africa's post-liberation mythology is fertile ground for what I call struggle laundering. There are many reasons why this happens. Some are benign, but then grief does strange things. Communities want to honour their own. Families need dignity. Others are more strategic: access to state funerals, provincial honours, or proximity to history. Struggle credentials open doors, even from the grave. We've seen fashion designers, club promoters, music producers, even TV actors posthumously declared liberation operatives. ALSO READ: Families of 21 MK operatives still grapple with losing loved ones We do not dishonour the dead when we demand truth. In fact, truth is the only proper tribute. False credentials not only distort history, but they also undermine the quiet courage of those who asked for nothing, expected nothing, and yet did everything. The real zama zamas of the liberation were those who dug deep with nothing but belief. Some never returned. Some returned with broken bodies and scarred psyches. Some came back to nothing, to find that others had become ministers, moguls and men of means while they stand in SA Social Security Agency lines or live in rented back rooms. They remember Operation Vula not as legend but as survival. ALSO READ: 'We will never forget their sacrifice' – Mashatile honours fallen former MK operatives They remember walking barefoot across borders, changing names, missing funerals. They remember learning Russian in dim dormitories. There's Joe, who ran logistics in Lesotho for years, carrying messages on microfilm in matchboxes. Lindiwe, who ferried weapons in her child's nappies. Or Rashid, who spent nine years in Swaziland before slipping back into SA through bush trails, living in safe houses, never seeing his children. These people exist. Many are alive. And you will never hear them speak of the struggle unless you ask, and even then, rarely in detail. The zama zama, in literal terms, is a miner without permit or protection. They go underground illegally, dangerously, driven by the hope of gold. South Africa has thousands of them. Most are unknown until a tunnel collapses or an explosion is heard at midnight. The zama zamas of the struggle are much the same. Some genuine, digging in the dark against apartheid, risking it all. ALSO READ: Others? Well, some mine the struggle retrospectively, hoping for glittering rewards: recognition, validation, burial benefits, family pride. But here lies the danger: if everyone was underground, if everyone was MK, who filled the marches, the boycotts, the student movements, the defiance campaigns? Are we rewriting our history to make room for ghosts that never walked the corridors? As the nation wrestles with who we were and what we became, we must ask: are we honouring sacrifice or manufacturing struggle fiction? I write this not to mock, but to mourn. To mourn the loss of truth. We owe the struggle more than retroactive glory. We owe it honesty. Not every DJ was an MK commander. Not every fashionista ran a cell. But that doesn't mean their lives weren't meaningful. ALSO READ: Vote for MK = vote for Putin The idea that struggle is the only currency of worth is poverty. Some cooked for cadres. Some wrote poems. Some raised children alone. Some simply survived. And that, too, is history. Let us honour all of it. But let us also be vigilant against the commodification of sacrifice. Because one day, our children will ask what we did. And we must not hand them a mythology mined from gold dust and exaggeration. 'We are not short of heroes,' Keorapetse Kgositsile, who was inaugurated as SA's National Poet Laureate in 2006, once said. 'We are short of those who remember them honestly.' NOW READ: Military veterans: ANC fails to care for its own
Eyewitness News
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
John Steenhuisen corrects Trump's ‘white genocide' claims
Agriculture minister and DA leader John Steenhuisen dismissed US President Donald Trump's claims of a genocide against white was part of President Cyril Ramaphosa's delegation visiting the White house in was intended to be a meeting aimed at mending diplomatic ties between South Africa and the United States took an unexpected turn when Trump played video footage showing EFF leader Julis Malema chanting 'kill the farmer.'In response, Steenhuisen clarified to Trump that the EFF is an opposition party and does not form part of the South African government. 'The two individuals that are in that video are both leaders of opposition minority parties in South Africa – Umkhonto weSizwe under Mr. Zuma and the Economic Freedom fighters under Julius Malema. The reason that my party, the DA which has been an opposition for over 30 years, chose to join hands with Mr. Ramaphosa's party was precisely to keep those people out of power. We cannot have those people sitting in the union buildings and making decisions.'
IOL News
09-05-2025
- General
- IOL News
South African Navy honours members for distinguished service at Medal Parade
Members of the South African Navy were decorated with medals on Friday Image: Tracy-Lynn Ruiters The South African Navy honoured its members for distinguished service, acts of bravery, and long-standing dedication to duty during the Chief of the Navy Medal Parade—an official military ceremony. For Captain Riedewaan Semaar, the South African Service Medal represents far more than a military decoration. It is a deeply personal symbol of a complex journey—from teenage freedom fighter to career naval officer—etched in memory and service. Semaar was part of the historic 1994 intake that saw the integration of former liberation armies, Umkhonto we Sizwe and the Azanian People's Liberation Army, into the newly established South African National Defence Force (SANDF). The South African Service Medal, instituted by Warrant on 25 June 1999, was awarded to him in recognition of internal operational service rendered prior to the country's democratic transition. 'If you're asking me about the medal,' Semaar said, 'I would call it a complicated affair. It's a reminder of everything we went through as a country. Serving our country… it's a piece of history stitched onto my chest.' He described the medal as a source of both pride and pain. 'It reminds me of a time when service meant something clear—even if the world around us wasn't. Does it make me proud? Yes. Because I served with belief, even if the ideals shifted beneath our feet. It's a reminder that we shouldn't be silent, or accept the silence around us. It's about our country, and to honour it.' Calling the honour 'bittersweet,' Semaar added, 'The medal can also be heavy—not in its weight, but in the weight of memory, of being part of something that I feel a lot of people don't want to remember.' Captain Riedewaan Semaar receiving his medal from Chief of the South African Navy Vice Admiral Monde Lobese Image: Ian Landsberg His wife, Faiqah Hattas Semaar, reflected on his life of service: 'This is his personal doing—his identity. This is where he's coming from. I tell him: you need to grab this. It's been your fight since your youth—since age 15. 'You're not just accepting this for yourself, but for everyone you fought for, fought alongside,' she added. 'This is his life. His achievement. Even though he's still fighting the fight. I am so proud of him. Immensely.' Another emotional highlight of the parade was when Petty Officer Wayde Damian Nagy received a proud hug from his five-year-old son, Ethan Wayde Nagy, after being awarded the SADC Medal for his service during the Southern Africa Mission in Mozambique. The SADC Medal is an international honour conferred by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to recognise members of participating military and police forces involved in joint operations. These include peacekeeping, humanitarian work, and the fight against terrorism and violent extremism in Mozambique's Cabo Delgado province. It is officially ranked as a service medal across the region's defence forces. Nagy, who served for more than 90 days, described the experience as demanding but fulfilling. 'We were well prepared for deployment. We experienced many new things and learnt a lot about teamwork. It was hot there. I missed home—there were days we had no communication with our families—but we stayed focused,' he said. 'My motivation was my family back home and my ship's company. They stuck it through from beginning to end. We went out there not for ourselves, but for our country and continent.' Petty Officer Wayde Damian Nagy and his son Ethan Wayde Nagy, 5 Image: Ian Landsberg Chief Petty Officer Nolwazi Mkula, also awarded for her service on the mission, played a crucial technical role. 'You become like a family when you're there,' Mkula said. 'Our job wasn't just technical—it was about keeping the team connected, keeping morale up, and making sure the mission kept moving forward.' The SADC Medal not only honours military cooperation in the region but also underscores the personal sacrifice and unity demonstrated by those in uniform. The parade also recognised officers who have served in the SANDF for 20 years, presenting them with the Good Service Medal (Silver) for their loyalty and efficiency. Chief Petty Officer Nolwazi Mkula Image: Ian Landsberg
IOL News
21-04-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Floyd Shivambu is still MK Party secretary-general as exit rumors swirl
The leadership of the Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party say secretary-general Floyd Shivambu has not left the party, dismissing rumours in political circles that the former EFF deputy president would be shown the door after his recent trip to Malawi. Shivambu drew public ire on Good Friday when he was spotted rubbing shoulders and sang high praises for the fugitive pastor and self-proclaimed Prophet Shepherd Bushiri. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Shivambu's attendance in Malawi was met with stern criticism in South Africa, with the Justice Ministry slamming Shivambu while his own party, in an unprecedented move, publicly admonished its own secretary general, asserting Shivambu was acting in his own personal capacity and that the visit was not sanctioned by former president Jacob Zuma or any other party leader. The gaffe by Shivambu comes amid growing tensions between him and factions linked to Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, the former president's daughter, who lashed out at Shivambu on social media, hurling insults. She was forced to apologize. Speaking to IOL on Monday, MKP national spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela said Shivambu remained in his position. 'No there's no such a thing. The secretary-general has not left the party,' he said. Rumours in the political circles are swirling, with some saying Shivambu is set to be shown the door, however, some quarters are saying Zuma wants to give Shivambu a second chance.
