Sanef chairman Sbu Ngalwa said Nakasa’s gravestone was vandalised last year alongside late football star Senzo Meyiwa’s.
- Sanef unveiled the rebuilt tombstone of anti-apartheid journalist Nat Nakasa.
- The tombstone was vandalised in 2021.
- Sanef chairperson Sbu Ngalwa said the tombstone had not been fixed by the eThekwini municipality, even though it had agreed to do so.
The SA National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) unveiled the rebuilt tombstone of anti-apartheid journalist Nat Nakasa.
The chairperson of Sanef, Sbu Ngalwa, said Nakasa’s gravestone was vandalised last year as well as that of the late football star, Senzo Meyiwa.
He said both tombstones had not been fixed by the eThekwini municipality, even though it had agreed to do so.
Ngalwa said rebuilding Nakasa’s gravestone was not just about the structure, but about giving him the home he didn’t have in exile as well as preserving the history of South African journalism.
Sanef, with the help of Sanlam, was able to preserve Nakasa’s memory, he said.
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“As Sanef, we could not just fold our arms and shrug our shoulders. Nat spent many years in exile, longing for a home that he was not allowed to return to. At some point, he referred to himself as ‘a native from nowhere’. When we led the project to have his remains brought back to South Africa in 2014, it was also about restoring his dignity and closing a sad chapter in our dark history,” Ngalwa said on Friday.
Nakasa’s sister, Ma-Gladys Maphumulo, said she had tried, without success, to have her brother’s gravestone replaced.
“I am very grateful to Sanef and Sanlam for this wonderful work. I have knocked on many doors to get my brother’s tombstone rebuilt, and I failed. What our people are doing in desecrating tombstones is shocking and unfortunate. One wonders what has become of our wonderful nation.
“I also hope the eThekwini municipality will do its best to restore the dignity of graves, such as Senzo Meyiwa, who lies next to my brother, Nat,” she said.
The chief executive of Sanlam, Sydney Mbhele, said the company prided itself on preserving Nakasa’s memory for future generations.
Sanef called on municipalities to maintain the upkeep of gravesites.
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