Pretoria - The families of those who were executed at the gallows at the Pretoria Central Prison during apartheid for political crimes were this week given the opportunity to visit the gallows - many for the first time.
The intention of the visit was to give the families a moment to mourn the death of their loved ones and make peace with the past.
At least 4000 prisoners were hanged at the gallows - of those 134 were political prisoners - until the Constitutional Court voted unanimously for the abolishment of the death penalty in June 1996.
One of the families who took part in the healing process was that of Solomon Mahlangu. Mahlangu was an apartheid activist who was arrested and executed at a young age.
Although his family from Mamelodi, east of Pretoria did not wish to talk much to the media, they said they were happy that his death was not in vain.
In his memory and honour, the local soccer stadium in Mamelodi was named after him.
The Chibi family from the Eastern Cape told BuaNews they felt better after the execution process had been explained to them. They had wanted to know how their beloved Mphatiswa Chibi was executed in 1962.
Speaking on behalf of the family, Zenzile Meyi, said they would now be able to find closure. "We are grateful that they [political prisoners] are being recognised, their struggle for freedom was not in vain," he said.
The relatives of all those executed for political crimes were able to hold private cleansing ceremonies, before the opening of the gallows into a museum by President Jacob Zuma on Thursday.
Zuma visited the gallows and walked up the infamous "52 steps" accompanied by cabinet ministers and other delegates including a well-known apartheid lawyer George Bizos.
During the tour, Correctional Services officials who witnessed the executions at that time explained to Zuma how the executions were carried out. According to the officials, only white officials were allowed to carry out the cruel executions.
Black officials were only allowed to clean the bodies after the executions and remove them and place them in plain coffins.
Inside the museum, the names of all those executed are written on the wall including their pictures, date of birth and the date of their execution. Also included are their finger prints and letters they had written to their families.
Zuma said on Thursday that the museum must be a symbol, not of the past, but of the hope we have for our future.
He extended his gratitude to the families. "We can never really feel the pain as deeply as you do. We hope this occasion contributes to the healing process and closure. May the spirits of your loved ones now rest in peace, for you have walked the steps that they walked on their last journey," he said.
The Gallows Museum will be open to the public next year.
