President Cyril Ramaphosa says the legacy of Dr Bathini Alfred Xuma still lives on today and the African National Congress (ANC) is still working to implement the gains he fought so hard for, for Black people.
The President delivered the eulogy at Xuma’s reburial service at his birth village of Manzana in eNgcobo, in the Eastern Cape.
Ramaphosa says it was under Xuma’s leadership that the ANC adopted the African Claims Document in 1943, which paved the way for land reform.
“The document rightly declared that the right to own, buy, hire or lease and occupy land individually or collectively both in the rural and urban areas was a fundamental right of citizenship. It is of great significance that our nation will soon see the realisation of some of the social reforms that Dr B Xuma championed for most of his life in terms of healthcare, in terms of land reform and many others,” says Ramaphosa.
Dr Xuma died in January 1962 and was buried in the Brixton cemetery in Johannesburg.
He was the first black South African to become a medical doctor. He attained his education with the aid of supportive white Americans who gave rise to his enduring belief in multi-racial partnerships and propelled him to become an advocate of racial integration and equal medical education for Africans.
Xuma dedicated his entire life to justice and humanity. Subsequently, he was posthumously awarded the Order of Luthuli in Gold for his exceptional contribution to the struggle for freedom and against colonialism on the African continent.
In this video, President Ramaphosa describes Dr Xuma’s legacy:
Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane has hailed Dr Xuma for his passion for women’s rights.
In the video below, he hails him as the epitome of selflessness:
