Deputy President, Paul Mashatile has honoured the Mofolo 4 combatants who spent greater than 24 hours preventing towards the Apartheid forces throughout the battle of Mutale River in 1988.
The fallen and surviving heroes of the “Battle of Mutale” have been first honoured throughout a particular first commemoration operate that was held at Mutale River in April 2022 by the South African Navy Veteran Affiliation, with the ANC committing to making sure that their legacy is rarely forgotten.
They’re celebrated for his or her gallant preventing spirit when on 28 March 1988, 9 Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) Troopers, aged between 19 and 21 years have been stunned by heavy enemy hearth from the apartheid South African Protection Drive (SADF) and the then Bantustan Venda Protection Drive (VDF), in what got here to be often known as “The Battle of Mutale River”.
On the time of the battle, the MK Unit was tasked with infiltrating the agricultural areas of the then-Venda Bantustan homeland within the Northern Transvaal (now Limpopo), and so they crossed from Zimbabwe into South Africa on 25 March 1988.
James Sekgale, the survivor of the battle has up to now associated the ache of shedding his 4 comrades which included Daniel Nkabinde (Vusi Mthembu), Oupa Lukhele (Dan Mabaso), Mlungiseleli Velaphi (Mzimkhulu Goduka), Sipho Nkosi (Peter Molotsi) and Ruben Lentsela (Benard Zondi).
Mashatile who took a stroll with members of the navy veterans forward of his tackle on the Mofolo Arts Centre on Tuesday afternoon counseled the preventing spirit of the combatants and plenty of different wrestle heroes who laid down their lives preventing for the nation’s hard-won freedom.
“At the moment we stroll amongst heroes who devoted their lives to the noble course of preventing for our freedom. Solely three combatants stay. As we mark Freedom Month, we should pay tribute to these freedom fighters who fought and paid with their lives. Thanks for immortalizing these comrades and on such events, we’re at all times reminded that our freedom was not free. It was burdened by untold struggling and wrestle of people who left the consolation of their lives to battle for our nation,” he stated.
Mashatile indicated {that a} nation that doesn’t honour and have a good time its heroes, is doomed to fail because it tries to create a brand new path for itself including that the skirmishes at Mutale represent one among many heroic battles that MK fought towards the apartheid forces throughout its 60-year historical past.
A number of the battles which have made the ANC’s historical past books additionally embrace the sabotage marketing campaign of 1961-1964; the joint MK/ZIPRA Wankie/Sipolilo marketing campaign of 1967/68; the Sasol bombing of 1980; the artillery assault on Voortrekkerhoogte in addition to assaults on police stations.
Mashatile additionally honoured the one three remaining combatants and leaders who took half within the two-day battle together with Duma Mlambo, James Sekgale and Thabo Dube.
“As we take pleasure in this freedom, we now have the duty to make sure that future generations are conscious of occasions and figures which formed our historical past as this was not a straightforward battle. This battle got here with numerous struggles and sacrifices,” he stated.
siyabonga.sithole@inl.co.za
