African National Congress (ANC) Chairperson Gwede Mantashe has described the late former MKMVA President Kebby Maphatsoe as a true ANC loyalist and a peacemaker who advocated for peace when conflict arose.
He was speaking at Maphatsoe’s funeral currently under way in Soweto. The 59-year-old Maphatsoe died of a heart attack on Tuesday.
One of his last wishes was that Mantashe be one of the speakers at his funeral.
Maphatsoe worked with Mantashe as the ANC Secretary-General in the early years of the formation of MKMVA. Mantashe says they were discussing an all-inclusive unity conference of former MK combatants.
ANC NEC member Ayanda Dlodlo, who also spoke at the funeral, decried disunity and factionalism in the governing party saying members are no longer genuine when calling each other comrades.
Dlodlo who revived the MKMVA with Maphatsoe says these days it is difficult to trust each other.
Maphatsoe letter on Zuma’s incarceration
During the funeral, former North West, Premier Supra Mahumapelo read a letter that Maphatsoe wrote expressing his dissatisfaction in how the matter of former president Jacob Zuma was handled.
Zuma is serving a 15-month jail term for contempt of court for ignoring an order to appear before the Judicial Inquiry into State Capture.
“The fifth command, he said he’s hurt; under democracy, you can have people being incarcerated without a trial and the example he made is that of JZ (Jacob Zuma), to say it shouldn’t be because he’s president Zuma. No, as a democracy, we shouldn’t have a situation where the courts are going to arrive at a decision to put you in jail without a trial. Those things only happen under apartheid. So, it shouldn’t just be about president Zuma. Every citizen of this country should not face what president Zuma is facing now.”
Kebby Maphatsoe’s funeral service :
