By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Facebook/KZN Department of Transport.
The ANC confirmed on Saturday that a prominent KwaZulu-Natal politician Meshack Radebe has died.
Hailed as a political peacekeeper, Radebe played a critical role in stabilising relations between the ANC and IFP towards the end of apartheid.
The provincial ANC said in a statement later in the day that it had learnt of his untimely death in the early hours of Saturday, after a short illness, with great sadness and sorrow.
The news of Radebe’s death was confirmed by the ANC’s KZN spokesperson, Nhlakanipho Ntombela, just after 1pm, although it is unclear what caused his death.
“We have lost ubhungane umkhumbi wokumoyizela — Meshack Radebe is no more. RIP Bhungane. More details will follow once we interact with the family,” said Ntombela.
“He passed away from the hospital. Let us keep the family in our prayers.”
Radebe, 71, was described by Mandla Zondi, co-ordinator of the regional task team of the ANC’s Moses Mabhida region, where he hailed from, as an accessible leader who was always ready to assist with whatever challenges were faced in the region.
“This is really sad news for us as a region because he was part of our region and he has been a prominent leader within the ANC for a long time, so we are deeply hurt as a region because he was one of the elders from whom we got counsel and wisdom in whatever we did,” Zondi said.
He said that the RTT leadership was still making preparations to visit Radebe’s family in Maqongqo, 25km outside Pietermaritzburg, to express their condolences.
“We would like to extend the region’s condolences to the family, we are with them at this sad time. We will remember him as someone who spoke his mind,” Zondi said.
He added that Radebe had been a peacemaker across the KwaZulu-Natal province at the height of political violence before and after the dawn of democracy.
“Whenever there were challenges that needed conflict resolution, he was one of the deployees who would be sent out to go assist in those areas. As a region we were drawing our strength from him as an elder in the region.”
“Whenever we faced challenges within the region we would seek Bhungane’s counsel because we always knew that he would assist us in solving whatever challenges we were seized with,” Zondi added.”
Former IFP leader Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi said, “Dr Radebe was a friend of peace and a champion of reconciliation. He was one of the few whose commitment to reconciliation between the IFP and the ANC was genuinely and openly expressed.”
He said they had shared a meal just a few months ago in Durban. “In this time of increasing sorrow and loss, I send my condolences to Dr Radebe’s family. We pray that they will be comforted and find strength, knowing the Dr Meshack Radebe surely rests in peace.”
KwaZulu-Natal premier Sihle Zikalala said Radebe had made a “great contribution to the struggle for liberation, for the social development of the people of KwaZulu-Natal”.
DA leader in the province Zwakele Mncwango said the party was shocked by the death of Radebe and extended condolences to his family and the ANC.