Members of the Tambo family in Nkantolo near Mbizana wants the new administration to consider re-burying the remains of O.R Tambo and his wife Adelaide next to his parents at his home village. The area is under-developed, and the family believes it will assist in attracting tourists. The family also says it’s difficult to perform traditional ceremonies with the Tambo remains being in Gauteng.
Oliver Tambo died in 1993 and was buried at Wattville near Benoni, with his wife Adelaide. Tambo’s nephew, Mzukisi Tambo, says that the family wishes the government could assist them in having Tambo reburied in his home village.
“We are demanding that O.R Tambo must come back to be laid where the rest of his family is laid, including his parents. We wish the government could assist us in getting O.R Tambo being laid here with his parents. We can’t do anything without him being here with his parents.”
Mzukisi Tambo says family in Bizana believe bringing their remains here will benefit the area as a whole.
“When O.R Tambo is buried here, tourists will come here and invest money for the community to develop.”
Cinga Vatyana of the Bizana Civic Society says that they have a program called the Amadiba Tourism Project.
“We have a program that we call the Amadiba tourism project. As the community, we are expecting that the government must support us in every way possible to ensure that our tourism becomes sustainable and the agri sector becomes well supported.”
A formal request to have the remains relocated is still to be made. Tambo’s son, Dali, says his parents wanted to be buried in Wattville, where they lived during the 50s.
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