Mohale FM
By: Leemisa Thuseho
THE governments of Lesotho and South Africa have agreed to repatriate the remains of South African anti-apartheid freedom fighters who perished during the 1982 and 1985 Maseru raids by the apartheid state. The repatriation process is scheduled to begin in March this year.
The South African Defence Force (SADF) raided Maseru on 9 December 1982 and 20 December 1985, killing a total of 42 people — 30 members of the now-ruling African National Congress (ANC) and its military wing, Umkhonto weSizwe (MK), as well as 12 Basotho nationals. The victims were buried at Thibella Cemetery in Maseru.
On both occasions, the SADF invaded the capital under the pretext of searching for ANC operatives who had sought refuge in Lesotho while fleeing apartheid persecution.
The commencement of the repatriation process follows a four-day visit to Lesotho by South Africa’s Deputy Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Ms Peace Mabe. The visit began on Sunday and concluded on Wednesday.
Ms Mabe said the repatriation from Lesotho forms part of South Africa’s Five-Year Plan under the Exile Repatriation Project — an initiative aimed at bringing home liberation fighters buried in unmarked graves across Africa, including Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Lesotho, in order to restore their dignity and provide closure to their families.
