By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Former International Relations Deputy Minister Ebrahim Ismail Ebrahim is laid to rest at the Heroes’ Acre at Westpark Cemetery in Johannesburg on Tuesday.
Acting President David Mabuza has granted him a special provincial official funeral,with flags also to be flown at half mast.
“On behalf of government and the people of South Africa, we wish to convey our sincere and heartfelt condolences to the family, friends and comrades of Ebrahim, on his untimely departure.
“He was indeed a selfless, disciplined, committed and a respected leader of the people. As we bow our heads in honouring his outstanding legacy, we recommit ourselves to the struggle for non-racialism, non-sexism, democratic and united South Africa that he dedicated his entire adult life to realise and fulfil,”Mabuza said.
Ebrahim died on Monday morning at the age of 84 after a long battle with cancer.
He joined the struggle in his teens and served 18 years in two spells on Robben Island where he shared a cell with former President Jacob Zuma.
He later became a member of the ANC’s armed wing and was arrested in 1963 for sabotage.
He was tried alongside 18 others and sentenced to 15 years on Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was also imprisoned for 27 years.
Ebrahim was released in 1979 but re-arrested in 1989, tortured, put on trial again and sentenced to 20 years in 1989.
He and two others were convicted for allegedly planting landmines on white-owned farms near Swaziland in 1986.
He was freed in 1991 and joined the government after South Africa’s first democratic election in 1994.
Starting as a lawmaker, he moved on to become a government advisor, helping to mediate conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as in Burundi, Kosovo, Bolivia, and Nepal.
In 2009, Ebrahim was appointed deputy foreign affairs minister, a position he held for six years.
On behalf of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO),minister Naledi Pandor expressed heartfelt condolences to the Ebrahim family, friends and colleagues.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has also expressed his condolences to the family of Ebrahim and friends.
“I am saddened by the passing of a distinguished comrade and counsellor who devoted his life to the liberation of our country and the resolution of conflicts around the world. He was indeed ‘a gentle revolutionary’, whose personal modesty belied his courageous conviction and firm and principled outlook on life and global affairs,”Ramaphosa said.
Ramaphosa commended Ebrahim – who spent many years on Robben Island with former President Nelson Mandela – for his acts of service towards freedom from Apartheid.
“His bravery, resilience and commitment to peace and security around the world has made our country, our continent and the world a better place. He now deserves to rest in peace while we appreciate and build on his indelible legacy.”
Ebrahim is survived by his wife Shannon and their two children Sarah and Caden.
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