Jacob Zuma to Honour Solomon Mahlangu on Freedom Day, South Africans Criticise MK Party Leader
- Jacob Zuma is set to deliver the Solomon Mahlangu Memorial Lecture in Pretoria on 27 April 2025
- Mahlagu was an anti-Apartheid activist and uMkhonto weSizwe soldier who was killed by the government in 1977
- South Africans were not impressed with Zuma's plans, claiming Mahlangu wouldn't approve of his actions
Source: Instagram
Briefly News journalist Byron Pillay has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent 10 years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism.
GAUTENG - The uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK Party) will honour one of the country’s struggle icons and a uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) soldier.
The party announced that its leader, Jacob Zuma, would mark Freedom Day by delivering the Solomon Mahlangu Memorial Lecture in Pretoria on 27 April 2025.
Mahlangu was an anti-apartheid activist and MK soldier whose death sparked international protests and condemnation of the South African government’s policy at the time.
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Zuma to honour Mahlangu on Freedom Day
With the country celebrating Freedom Day, the MK Party leader is scheduled to deliver a lecture at the Solomon Mahlangu Memorial lecture.
Commemorations will begin at the Khosi Mampuru Correctional Facility in Pretoria, where Mahlangu was held, before Zuma visits the cemetery in Mamelodi where the 22-year-old was buried. He will also address the community of Mamelodi at the square named after the young freedom fighter.
Source: Getty Images
Despite Freedom Day being a celebration of the country's first democratic elections, it has not been without controversy. In 2021, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla was criticised online for saying that there was no freedom without her father, Zuma.
Zuma was serving a 15-month sentence at the Estcourt Correctional Services Centre, but was later released on a special remission.
Why Mahlangu remains a symbol of the struggle
Kalushi, as he was nicknamed, remains an important symbol of the struggle, 46 years after his death.
He joined the African National Congress (ANC) in September 1976 and left the country to train as an MK soldier. On 11 June 1977, he returned to South Africa from Angola and Mozambique to assist with student protests on the anniversary of 16 June.
The MK Party’s Tshwane Regional Organiser, Mpho Morolane, said that it was Zuma who drove Mahlangu when he returned to South Africa from Mozambique as his Commander General.
The 22-year-old was arrested on 13 June 1977 after he and Mondy Johannes Motloung were beaten by police on Goch Street in Johannesburg.
During a gun battle with police, two civilians were killed, and while Motloung was found to have pulled the trigger, he was unable to stand trial due to brain damage he suffered as a result of the police assault.
Mahlangu was charged with two counts of murder under the law of common purpose and several charges under the Terrorism Act. He was found guilty and sentenced to death. He was hanged on 6 April 1979. In his last message before death, Mahlangu encouraged his comrades to continue the fight for freedom.
“My blood will nourish the tree that will bear the fruits of freedom. Tell my people that I love them. They must continue the fight,” he said before he was executed.
South Africans not impressed with Zuma
The former president’s plan to honour Mahlangu has been met with criticism by many. Some suggested he was trying to remain relevant, while others questioned his claim of driving Mahlangu when he returned from MK training.
@Thabelo_Ngwenya laughed:
“😂 They rewrite history every day, these Zumanites. They call it Zumasm.”
@dave_ramatlo joked”:
“Zuma did everything, Mandela was on his way to meet Zuma when he was arrested🤣.”
Bra Bob Hudson said:
“Kalushi would have condemned the landing of the Gupta chartered flight at the national key point. Kalushi would have frowned upon the hijacking of MK by nefarious characters to advance personal gain.”
Sandiso Yisaki added:
“A Solomon Mahlangu lecture that will focus on his personal circumstances, with less than 10% said about Kalushi.”
Velly Mashigo asked:
“Which freedom? Do you see any freedom in South Africa? The freedom worked for you to empower the Guptas, not South Africans.”
Thuso Modubu stated:
“What a contrast. A selfless man like Solomon Mahlangu honoured by a greedy guy like Zuma who speaks to confused, desperate people.”
Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla mocks Nelson Mandela
In another article, Briefly News reported in 2022 how Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla earned criticism online.
Jacob Zuma's daughter shared a photo of Mahlangu online, saying she wished Nelson Mandela hadn't become President.
South Africans took to social media to ridicule Duduzile and her father, with many asking what he did in his time as president.
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Source: Briefly News
