Pretoria - The government will continue to honour military veterans for their contribution to the attainment of freedom and the establishment of the constitutional democracy in South Africa, President Jacob Zuma said Friday.
The primary mission all military veterans had been to achieve a united, democratic, non-sexist, non-racial and prosperous society, Zuma said at the funeral of the late Umkhonto Wesizwe (MK) former commander Lieutenant-General Lehlohonolo Moloi.
“That work must continue in earnest in their memory. We have consolidated democracy and scored a lot of achievements in 20 years as South Africans working together, but our work is not yet completed,” he said.
Zuma said given his experience and expertise and clarity with regards to the type of society South Africa wanted to achieve, Moloi was called upon to help in building a new South African National Defence Force in 1994.
General Moloi, who died last week aged 81, joined Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) in 1962 and was part of the MK Military Headquarters (MHQ) where he worked alongside ANC leaders such as Oliver Tambo, SA Communist Party veterans Joe Slovo and Chris Hani as Chief of Operations.
Zuma said in being among the early recruits of MK who skipped the country for military training in 1962, Moloi proved to be a selfless and courageous young man.
“We will remember his patience with soldiers who were at times anxious and unsure of what was expected of them, during the difficult integration process.
“We will always remember him as the distinguished South African who loved this country and his organisation the ANC more than anything else”. Moloi became a dependable soldier and cadre, at the best and the worst of time, Zuma said.
In memory of former President Nelson Mandela’s, Moloi, Oliver Tambo and many other national heroes and heroines, South African should continue to build a united country, in which every citizen feels a sense of belonging and in which they have hope for a better future. South Africans needed to promote unity across the barriers of race, colour, creed or class.
The transformation of the economy was General Moloi’s passion, said Zuma adding that everySouth African had a duty to take the mission forward.
“He served in many private sector institutions as he believed that economic emancipation should be an integral part of our political freedom”. – SAnews.gov.za
