SA hands over remains of two apartheid-era Namibian prisoners

The South African government has formally handed over the remains of two Namibian political prisoners who died while incarcerated at Robben Island. They were jailed for their role in the fight against apartheid.

Their repatriation ceremony included the remains of the 84 other Namibians whose mortal remains were still in South Africa.

The Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie was the keynote speaker during the ceremony held at Iziko Museum, in Cape Town.

We gather here in Cape Town whose island prison once held these comrades. But we gathered here today to send them home. Today is not an ordinary day. It is a moment in history in which we return mortal remains and cultural objects from the Republic of South Africa to the Republic of Namibia. Let me stop right there to thank the Namibian people.

McKenzie has commended the role played by Namibia, saying it defended South Africa when the country was accused as being xenophobic recently. This was when there were country wide protests directed at undocumented foreign nationals and they were given the deadline to leave the country by the end of June.

When South Africa has gone through a very bad three months where we were accused of being a xenophobic country. So much so that when our national team was getting ready to go and play in the World Cup. There were certain countries on this continent that was very clear that South Africa should loose and they called us with all sorts of names. And life has taught me many things but there is one thing life has taught me that you see your friends when you go through difficult times. You see your family when you go through being falsely accused. And during that time what stood out for me was not our enemies or people that called themselves our enemies said about us but what Namibians said about us that’s what stood out for me. Namibians stood by us. Namibians were even wearing t-shirts of Bafana Bafana.

says McKenzie.