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Kotane, Marks were great mentors: Zuma

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President Jacob Zuma says Moses Kotane and JB Marks were responsible for shaping many of South Africa’s revolutionary leaders.

Speaking at the Waterkloof Airforce Base near Pretoria, where the remains of the two struggle icons arrived this morning from Russia, Zuma says it’s a sad, but also joyous occasion.

Zuma say the icons were instrumental in shaping a generation of leaders in the country. “These two giants played a critical and fundamental role in our struggle. They shaped the political thinking of many cadres and the leaders of our struggle in the alliance – in the ANC, SACP and the trade union movement. They were in the main responsible to produce some of the giant leaders we have today. Our very icon, Nelson Mandela, is a product of these two.”

The repatriation of the remains has been spearheaded by Minister of Arts and Culture Nathi Mthethwa, who together with a high level government, ANC, SACP and Cosatu delegation went to fetch the remains. The plane carrying the remains of the struggle icons touched down at 6:15 this morning. The plane left the Russian capital, Moscow, on Saturday.

It’s has been a long road to the final arrival of the men’s remains on home soil. It has been a year of negotiations with the Russian government. This after Moses Kotane’s wife, 103 years-old Rebecca, asked President Jacob Zuma to assist in the repatriation of her late husband after last year’s State of the Nation Address. Kotane and JB Marks were buried at the Novodevichy Cemetary in Moscow since the seventies.

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