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IOL News
07-07-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Ramaphosa declares a State Funeral for former deputy president DD Mabuza,
Forner deputy president David Mabuza. Image: X President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced a period of national mourning following the death of former deputy president David Dabede Mabuza, who will also be given a State Funeral. Mabuza, aged 64, died on Thursday, after a long illness. The former deputy president retired from active politics at the end of the first Ramaphosa administration. At the Nasrec 1 ANC elective conference, Mabuza became the kingmaker for Ramaphosa, switching sides at the last minute. He had been widely expected to back Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma before he opted for "unity", as his slate went with Ramaphosa instead. Arguably, Mabuza's actions gave rise to the birth of former president Jacob Zuma's uMkhonto WeSizwe Party (MK Party) - a breakaway party from the ANC's Radical Economic Transformation faction. Mabuza spent much of his time in office sick and for a prolonged period, he spent time in Russia getting medical care after he had been allegedly poisoned. He did return to political life, declaring the Cat is back, but that was not to last long. He did not contest any leadership positions at the Nasrec 2 ANC elective conference in December 2022, leading to Paul Mashatile taking up the position of ANC deputy president and ultimately, the country's deputy president when Mabuza resigned in March 2023. 'In honour of his service to the nation, President Ramaphosa has declared that Mabuza will be accorded a State Funeral Category 2,' according to a statement by the presidency. The funeral will take place on Saturday, 12 July 2025, in Mpumalanga, with further details to be announced in the coming days. According to the State, Official and Provincial Official Funeral Policy Manual, a Category 2 state funeral is reserved for sitting or former Deputy Presidents, Acting Presidents, and certain other high-ranking officials. It includes full military ceremonial honours. To mark the mourning period, the president has instructed that the national flag be flown at half-mast at all government buildings and flag stations across the country from Monday until the evening of Saturday. In his message of condolences, Ramaphosa extended his heartfelt sympathies to the Mabuza family and acknowledged the former deputy president's enduring legacy. 'David Mabuza was not only a family man, but also an activist, educator, intellectual, and public servant who played a key role in our journey toward freedom and national development,' Ramaphosa said. Lastly, the president encouraged South Africans to reflect on Mabuza's contributions during the official mourning period. IOL News
IOL News
26-06-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Mayibuye iAfrika: The liberation slogan that still echoes in South Africa's democracy
The power of Mayibuye iAfrika: Origins, meaning and its place in modern SA politics. Image: Pixabay The powerful rallying cry, Mayibuye iAfrika, meaning 'Let Africa Return', remains one of the most iconic slogans in the history of South Africa's liberation struggle. It is in parlance once more after the former Secretary General of the uMkhonto WeSizwe Party (MK Party), Floyd Shivambu, alluded to his potential new political party, named after the powerful catchphrase. "On Friday, June 27, we will announce the National Consultation Team (NCT) of Mayibuye Consultation Process. As always, we will use the opportunity to exercise what Amilcar Cabral taught us that as revolutionaries, we should, 'Hide nothing from the masses of our people. Tell no lies. Expose lies whenever they are told. Mask no difficulties, mistakes, failures. Claim no easy victories. Tell no lies. Claim No easy victories.' Mayibuye iAfrika," Shivambu recently said. Origin Used extensively during the anti-apartheid era, the Mayibuye iAfrika captured the yearning for African self-determination, the reclamation of land and dignity, and the rejection of colonial and apartheid rule. Mayibuye iAfrika is widely believed to have originated within the ranks of the African National Congress (ANC) in the early 20th century. Its roots stretch deeper into the broader pan-Africanist and black consciousness philosophies that began emerging across the continent and diaspora during the colonial period. The slogan became an official part of the ANC's vocabulary in the 1940s and 1950s, particularly during mass protests, strikes and campaigns such as the Defiance Campaign of 1952. It was often paired with 'Amandla!' (power), to which crowds would respond, 'Ngawethu!' (to us). Historian Pitika Ntuli believes that Shivambu is using the slogan to call out the ANC's failures. "He is reclaiming this liberation cry. By invoking this historic slogan, Shivambu challenges the ANC on its unfulfilled promises and signals continuity with the anti-colonial dream. He also calls for a new ownership of Africa by Africans," Ntuli said. 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 Next Stay Close ✕ Political and cultural usage The phrase was not limited to political rallies. It found its way into poetry, music, theatre and speeches both within and outside of South Africa. It became a greeting, a chant and a closing statement in political gatherings. In exile, Mayibuye iAfrika resonated in the camps of Umkhonto weSizwe and among international solidarity movements. Former ANC President Oliver Tambo was among the many leaders who regularly invoked the phrase in his speeches abroad. In 1987, during a rally in Zambia, he said: "When we say Mayibuye iAfrika, we are calling for the return of everything that was stolen: our land, our freedom, our humanity." The poet Nontsizi Mgqwetho, the first black woman poet to be published in South Africa, echoed this sentiment in her early 20th-century writings. In one of her isiXhosa verses, she wrote: "Mayibuye iAfrika. Sithi makubuye uhlanga loMthonyama." (Let Africa return. Let the black nation reclaim its pride.) In democratic South Africa, Mayibuye iAfrika retains symbolic weight. Before Shivambu's renaissance, it was no longer used as frequently in political discourse, but is still chanted during heritage events, protest marches and cultural commemorations. IOL Politics Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel.
