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Remains of SA freedom fighters who died in exile returned home0

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The South African government has received the remains of 42 freedom fighters who died while in exile in Zimbabwe and Zambia during the apartheid struggle against white minority rule.

The remains of the freedom fighters were received by government officials and family members at the Waterkloof Air Force Base in the capital, Pretoria, after being exhumed in Zambia and Zimbabwe for their reburial in the country of their birth, an official statement said.

The repatriation of the remains was part of a government program to bring closure to families whose loved ones died away from home while serving in the underground structures of both the African National Congress and Pan Africanist Congress, according to officials.

Local media reports that before the apartheid system ended in South Africa in 1994, many activists left the country to receive military training elsewhere with the aim of returning home to wage an armed struggle.

“Others left the country to avoid being arrested by the apartheid regime for their involvement in anti-apartheid activities, and chose Zimbabwe and Zambia where the underground structures were the strongest.

“After it was banned in South Africa, the African National Congress party of Nelson Mandela, shifted its headquarters to the Zambian capital, Lusaka.

“Many died in exile and were buried in those countries. Among the remains returned to South Africa were those of freedom struggle stalwarts Duma Nokwe, Florence Mophosho and Basil February.”

South Africa’s Deputy President Paul Mashatile who spoke during a Heritage Day event on Tuesday, said the repatriation was part of efforts to teach future generations about the role played by many in the struggle against apartheid.

President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to host a homecoming ceremony for the repatriated remains on Friday before they are handed over to their families for reburials across the country while there are plans to repatriate the remains of other South Africans from Lesotho, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Angola, Russia and other countries.

Culture

DRC authorities arrest six over break-in at Lumumba’s Mausoleum

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Police in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) say six people have been arrested over a break-in and vandalism at the mausoleum of the country’s assassinated independence leader, Patrice Lumumba, in Kinshasa, the country’s capital.

The police had announced the six arrests late Wednesday and said they were still looking for two more suspects.

Interior Minister, Jacquemin Shabani, said in a statement that during the break-in which occurred on Monday, a case containing a single gold-capped tooth, the only part of the former leader that remained after his assassination, was broken by the vandals.

“We assure that the relic is secure and it is protected,” the minister said, without offering more information.

The return of Lumumba’s tooth from former colonizer Belgium in 2022 had been celebrated around Congo, with the tooth taken around the vast country so people could pay their respects.

Lumumba is widely hailed as the nationalist activist who helped end colonial rule in the DRC and went on to become the country’s first prime minister and was seen as one of Africa’s most promising new leaders, but he was assassinated within a year in 1961.

His body was dismembered and dissolved with acid in an apparent effort to keep any grave from becoming a pilgrimage site.

For many in Congo, Lumumba is a symbol of the positive developments the country could have achieved after its independence but instead, it became mired in decades of dictatorship that drained its vast mineral riches.

A military coup toppled Lumumba, who was arrested, jailed and later killed. His assassination, blamed on separatists, cleared the way for the rise of Mobutu Sese Seko, who ruled the country he later renamed Zaire for decades with support from Western powers until his death in 1997.

His one remaining tooth was kept by the Belgian police commissioner who oversaw the destruction of his body.

The tooth was returned to Congo after the visit of Belgium’s King Philippe, who expressed regrets for his nation’s abuses in Congo when it was a Belgian colony.

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Culture

Miss SA opens up on why she withdrew from Miss Universe pageant

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Reigning Miss South Africa 2024, Mia le Roux, has opened up on the reasons behind her withdrawal from the Miss Universe pageant which was held in Mexico, where Nigeria’s Chidinma Adetshina was the first runner-up.

While narrating her experience in a video she shared on social media on Wednesday, le Roux said her body was taking so much physical strain.

“Hello everyone, I’m back in South Africa and wanted to reach out to you all. Thank you so much for all of your kind wishes, your support and prayers,” she said in the video.

“I wanted to be transparent with you and share my story. A lot of you would’ve seen the video that I made about vertigo, while I was in Mexico at Miss Universe.

“Vertigo is a condition where it feels like you are dizzy and there’s a sense of the world spinning around you. It’s very intense and can cause major issues with your imbalance.

“Mentally I was very strong, I was ready, but physically, my body was taking strain. I had to even seek medical help in Mexico City. And even after the medical help, my condition still wasn’t improving.”

She added that during the preliminary rounds of Miss Universe, she had continued to push herself but her vertigo intensified and it became unmanageable.

She stated that while she was waiting backstage, she fell repeatedly and couldn’t stand up without support and was not in a position to safely walk on stage.

“It was not easy. As I was not doing it just for myself but for all of you in South Africa,” she said.

“I will continue to serve as your Miss South Africa, to support and uplift those who come after me. With my unbreakable spirit and an exciting year ahead, I will keep fighting for myself and for everyone with dreams and passions. I am so proud to still be your Miss South Africa,” she added.

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