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Compiled by the Government Communication and Information System --------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 28 Mar 2004 Title: Ten Years of Democracy celebrates Chief Luthuli's ideals --------------------------------------------------------------- By Zibonele Ntuli, tel: (012) 314-2359 It is ten years since the onset of democracy, hard won by the majority in the country, and South Africa has seen the ideals and values of the late Chief Albert Luthuli beginning to take hold, which he lived and died for. It is in this regard that government launched the Chief Albert Luthuli Legacy Project to recognise his contributions and ensure the memory of one of the greatest fathers of democracy in South Africa is not forgotten. Zibonele Ntuli recently attended the launch of the first annual Chief Luthuli Memorial Lecture by president Thabo Mbeki and the conferring (posthumously) of the honorary law degree by the newly formed University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban. Traveling on a rural road from the lush sugar cane town of Tongaat to Stanger on the north coast, one sees a tourism friendly road signage pointing to the right, saying: "Chief Albert Luthuli's Grave". Near a valley, one discovers the newly renovated Groutville United Congregational Church with its walls coated white and a lively light blue roof. Upon entering the church, one first sees a white dove flying high, symbolizing peace and love. The indigenous trees surrounding the church usher in a tranquil silence, regardless of the nearby labourers, who are constructing a paved parking. On the other side of the church are the modernised cement graves characterised by tombstones and fresh flowers with a fairly high suburban steel fence. It is here that the bones of one of the heroes of our time lie - Chief Albert Luthuli - whose mysterious tragic death is still uncertain. Resting in peace next to him are his wife Nokukhanya and his son Sibusiso, and countless other church members who died some decades ago. It is not unusual for Chief Luthuli to receive visitors who come and give their respect to a man they regard as a profound thinker, a man of logic, who upheld a sense of justice. As testimony to this, a retired lecturer from the University of Zululand, Dr Thabani Mthiyane, has come to pay his respects at Luthuli's grave. "I come here maybe twice a year, especially in summer when it is extremely hot, to pay homage to this great leader," says Dr Mthiyane, immediately after making a sign of a cross. Dr Mthiyane claims he grew up under Luthuli's leadership, the latter who was already a teacher by 1934, and his mentor. "For the very first time we heard of politics through him and as teachers we all wanted to go to exile in Swaziland, he forced us to stay home and work. He appealed that not all of us should go to exile, but we should remain and not kill the nation, some should empower the nation," he says laughing. He commends government for the initial step it has taken in developing memorials of prominent leaders. However, he argues, this is not enough. "I don't think we have done anything about the founders of the organisation which led the black struggle, people like Seme, King Solomon, Moroka. Who really knows the spot where Luthuli died in a so called train accident?" he asks. Dr Mthiyane believes there is no recognition of Chief Luthuli's Natal African Teacher's Association (NATA), which he nurtured since 1933. "I don't think it is fair, this is the person who taught us patriotism, love for the soil, duty, education, religion, peace and unity. I come here time and again to feel inspired and get a sense of relief, immediately I go from here I feel united with his ethos," he says. Dr Mthiyane is proud to say that during his teaching career he has partly used the skills he got through Chief Luthuli's inspiration, however he is saddened by the fact that nothing is done to remember Luthuli's wife. "MaBhengu was a wonderful woman, it is so sad that nothing is being done to recognise her, this is the person who even worked hard to prop Chief Luthuli," he says. Some of Chief Luthuli's work is still visible even today. "When I listen to the tune 'By the rivers of Bybelon' which he conducted while he was a conductor at Adams College, I get blessed," he says while imitating with his hands. He says the Zulu Language Guild (Usiba) is the product of Luthuli's Zulu Language and Cultural Society. Chief Luthuli's house will be proclaimed in July this year after being restored by the Arts and Culture Department as a museum with a Visitor's Interpretative Centre. The renovated houses still resembles the original colours, as the long time neighbour to the Luthulis, Ms Rhoda Mzoneli, confirms. Ms Mzoneli first saw Chief Luthuli when she came to her husband's house, her marriage home, in 1962. "He was a very healthy strong man who used to come out of his house and sit in the sun, read a bible and write something. I did not know that he was such a very important person until a helicopter which carried JF Kennedy landed next to our yard," says Ms Mzoneli. Born in the then Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) in 1898, Chief Luthuli was educated in Natal, including at Adams College, where he taught until 1935, when he was elected the chief of Groutville. His leadership qualities saw him also playing a significant role in extending the Natal and Zululand Cane Growers' Association. He was elected the African National Congress president of the Natal Branch in 1952 before becoming its president a year later until his death in 1967. In was in 1952 when he was deposed of his chieftainship after refusing to resign from the ANC. A man with a big soul that he was, Chief Luthuli lost his chieftainship, was tried for treason, banned, and was later sent to prison. During the launch of the annual lecture, President Mbeki described Chief Luthuli as an outstanding patriot whose life and principled commitment to the struggle for liberation should serve as an example. "Luthuli dedicated his life to the achievement of freedom for his people. His unshaken belief in the correctness of the struggle for equality among all the people, irrespective of race, gave him strength as he confronted the mounting challenges in the struggle against tyranny. He was not prepared to let his people engage in any form of struggle in which he himself was not prepared to participate," Mr Mbeki said at the memorial lecture. For his peaceful struggle for human rights, Chief Luthuli became the first African to be awarded a Nobel Peace Prize. Over the past decade, the political and social transition has seen Chief Luthuli's ideas come to life in the form of a democratic, united, non-racial, non-sexist and prosperous society. His ideas have come to life over the past decade in the form of a Government of National Unity, Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Human Rights Commission and an enlightened Constitution and Bill of Rights that seeks to ensure the country never returns to its abominable past. As Ms Rhoda says, government has done a lot to ensure Chief Luthuli's ideas live on. "We all were shocked to hear about his death. We are still not too sure how he died. Official reports said he died from a train accident, nobody knows how it happened. He may be gone, but with a museum like this in his honour, we will not forget him." - BuaNews |
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