Honour Awaits Sekhukhune Liberation Fighters

Heroes and heroines of the liberation struggle in the Greater Sekhukhune district are one step from being honoured for their valiant fight against white domination.

This matter is a subject of on-going discussions between Greater Sekhukhune District Municipality (GSDM) executive mayor, Cllr Namane Dickson Masemola, and the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Freedom Park, Dr Wally Serote.

They have both agreed that the two institutions should jointly host the historic 50th anniversary of the Sekhukhune uprisings after meeting in Pretoria last week.

Dr Serote said it was in the interest of both Freedom Park and the GSDM to ensure that selfless individuals who laid down their lives were duly recognised and that history did not exclude them from having their names engraved on a wall as one of the outstanding heroes and heroines of the liberation struggle.

The meeting started with a visit to the Freedom Park Garden of Remembrance where Masemola was shown walls bearing the names of the fallen heroes and heroines of the struggle against oppression.

The meeting also agreed that the two institutions should enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) before the ceremony - scheduled to take place in May this year.

There will be interviews with elders who survived the 1958 uprisings to relive their personal experiences as they remonstrated against white domination and supremacy.

“We are looking forward to celebrating this big day – the 50th anniversary of the Sekhukhune uprisings – in a manner that reminds our people that this liberation that we so much cherish today did not come easy,” Masemola said.

The celebration will have two segments. The first one will take place in Pretoria on May 24, where people will be taken down the memory lane.

The second celebration will take place locally in Mohlaletse, Fetakgomo.