SAHRA declares Gwala family cemetery a national heritage site

SAHRA declares Gwala family cemetery a national heritage site

- The gravesites of struggle activist Harry Gwala and his family have been declared a national heritage site

- The South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) just recently made the announcement

- Gwala along with his wife Elda and their daughter, Lulu were laid to rest in KwaSwayimane, KwaZulu-Natal

PAY ATTENTION: Join Briefly News' Telegram channel! Never miss important updates!

The South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) has declared the family cemetery where Harry Gwala was buried a national heritage site. The struggle activist was laid to rest in KwaSwayimane, KZN.

According to Lungisa Malgas, SAHRA CEO, the portion of the Gwala cemetery that was declared a national heritage site holds the graves of Gwala and his wife Elda as well as their daughter Lulu.

She stated that Elda was the pillar of Gwala's life and after her death, Gwala made Lulu the head of the family.

Read also

Interesting facts about Ignatius Chombo

Gwala family cemetry declared national heritage site
The Gwala family cemetery has been declared a national heritage site. Image: Media24 / Gallo Images
Source: Getty Images

According to IOL, Malgas said that the Gwala graves were of "historic value". This is due to Harry Gwala’s work in the African National Congress (ANC) and The South African Communist Party (SACP). The SAHRA website officially declared the gravesites a heritage site and added a Gazette notice for more information.

In other news about struggle icons, Briefly.co.za previously reported that President Cyril Ramaphosa unveiled a statue of Oliver Tambo. The statue is situated outside OR Tambo International Airport in Gauteng and is the second of its kind. The first was unveiled by former president Jacob Zuma.

The month of October has been declared by the City of Ekurhuleni as OR Tambo Month and the nine-metre tall bronze statue of OR Tambo will be unveiled exactly 103 years since the birth of the globally respected leader.

Read also

5 interesting details about Rakgadi Semali Moeti, the late Lebohang Khitsane's sister

In addition to the statue, Ramaphosa unveiled the new Radisson Hotel and Convention Centre. The centre cost a staggering R950 million to construct and boasts 248 rooms with state-of-the-art facilities.

At a separate occasion, Former President Thabo Mbeki urged young people to follow the example of struggle veterans Oliver Thambo and Eliha Barayi. He spoke at a graduation ceremony where UNISA bestowed honorary degrees on Barayi, James Motlatsi and Mavuso Msimang.

He said that those being honoured at the ceremony had provided a great example for the youth to follow. Mbeki is the Chancellor of the University of South Africa (UNISA).

Enjoyed reading our story? Download BRIEFLY's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major South African news!

Source: Briefly News

Online view pixel