Hanekom paid tribute to Ahmed Kathrada, at the opening of the Ahmed Kathrada Exhibition at Constitutional Hill in Johannesburg on Sunday.
The opening of the exhibition by the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation co-incided with what would have been the liberation icon’s 93rd birthday.
Kathrada, who died in 2017, was a Rivonia trialists and spent 26 years in prison.
Hanekom says, Kathrada’s life was spent championing the cause of non-racialism.
“We are commemorating a most remarkable man, an extraordinary man. A legendary freedom fighter who had all the qualities one would like to see in a revolutionary leader. He was a man of great humility and not afraid to speak the truth to power. He did so toward the end of his life in critical times when one needed leadership. He would have been less satisfied, deeply concerned. I cannot see having walked away from the ANC. He would have said, this is a struggle that we need to fight,” says Hanekom.
Ahmed Kathrada Foundation marks what would have been his 93rd birthday:
Kathy’s 93rd birthday
In celebration of the life and legacy of the late struggle stalwart, the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation together with Constitution Hill is hosting a special exhibition in honour of his lifelong activism.
The exhibition celebrates Kathrada’s legacy as a lifelong activist against racism through stories, pictures, artifacts and his letters to friends and family from prison.
Ahmed Kathrada exhibition reflecting on his life and legacy officially opened:
