A monument will be erected in honour of the 12 South Africans who died during apartheid’s Matola raids in 1981.
|||The national Department of Arts and Culture, together with the South African High Commission in Mozambique will pay homage to 12 activists who were killed in a cross-boarder attack on freedom fighters during the country’s turbulent apartheid era.
In May this year, a monument will be unveiled in Mozambique to remember Krishna Rabilal and 11 other comrades, who lost their lives during the Matola raid that took place on January 30, 1981.
Recently, a group of 18 people comprising members of The Krishna Rabilal Foundation (KRF) and other family members upheld an annual tradition of visiting the graves of the Matola victims, marking the 31st anniversary of the attacks.
The administrator for the foundation, Soma Perumall said: “This event is of great national importance especially as this year marks the 100-year anniversary of the ANC.”
He added that a school in Mozambique -- the 30 January School -- had been named in memory of the raid and that the foundation was working closely with it in creating a lasting legacy befitting those who had lost their lives.”
So far the KRF has raised R10 000 to donate towards classroom furniture for the school.
Said Perumall, “Members who went to Matola this month, visited the school and met with the school officials to finalise arrangements for the purchase of the above items.
“The KRF is working toward finalising this donation to coincide with the official commemorative unveiling of the monument in May this year.”
While a decision to have the remains of those killed in the raid to be brought back to SA has been mooted, family members said they would welcome the move provided that the decision involved all families.
Raj Rabilall, brother of the slain Krishna Rabilall said the issue was a “sensitive one.”
“The return of the remains of victims of the struggle is not a project of the KRF, but there is talk of this becoming a reality with the efforts of the relevant government departments that deal with such issues.
“The success of this project will bring closure and comfort to family members and friends of the Matola Victims,” added Perumall. - POST and IOL