Pretoria - A newly renovated tombstone of the revered former uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) combatant Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu was unveiled by the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) in Mamelodi, east of Pretoria, on Tuesday.
This year marks the 39th anniversary of the execution by hanging of Mahlangu, a trained combatant of the African National Congress's (ANC) armed wing. He was hanged by the apartheid regime at the Pretoria Central Prison on 6 April 1979. Before he was executed, Mahlangu famously said: “My blood will nourish the tree that will bear the fruits of freedom. Tell my people that I love them. They must continue the struggle.”
The execution provoked international protest and condemnation of South Africa’s apartheid policy. In fear of crowd reaction at the funeral, the police decided to bury Mahlangu in Atteridgeville. On 6 April 1993, he was reinterred at the Mamelodi Cemetery.
In 2005, a statue of Mahlangu was unveiled in Mamelodi township in Tshwane. In the same year, Mahlangu was posthumously awarded “The Order of Mendi for Bravery in Gold for his bravery and sacrificing his life for freedom and democracy in South Africa”.
Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu's memorial unveiled in Mamelodi, Pretoria. PHOTO: NYDA
The @NYDARSA is currently at the Mamelodi Community Hall for the Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu Memorial Lecture.
Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu was born on 10 July 1956. #RememberingKalushi #BeTheLegacy @sifisomtsweni @bavelile pic.twitter.com/aEPla9wyHk
— NYDARSA (@NYDARSA) July 10, 2018
Join us now at the Mamelodi Community Hall for a Memorial Lecture lead by our Executive Chairperson Mr Sifiso Mtsweni. #BeTheLegacy #RememberingKalushi pic.twitter.com/PgFz1DTS6F
— NYDARSA (@NYDARSA) July 10, 2018
[WATCH] “The bravery that he displayed is unparalleled.”- Honourable Deputy Minister, Thabang Makwetla, at the official unveiling of the revamped Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu tombstone in Mamelodi. #RememberingKalushi #BeTheLegacy pic.twitter.com/6yQabeeaOU
— NYDARSA (@NYDARSA) July 10, 2018
NYDA chairperson Sifiso Mtsweni will deliver the Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu Memorial Lecture at the Mamelodi community hall on Tuesday afternoon.