THE provincial government said that cooperation with Botswana will enhance economic and social ties to benefit residents on both sides of the border. This came at the Prof Zacharia Keodirelang Matthews memorial lecture held at Moeding College in Otse, Botswana, at the weekend.
Matthews was a struggle icon and one of the founders of the ANC who died in Botswana where his remains were later exhumed for reburial in South Africa. The two day celebration was also part of the 30th anniversary of the 1985 Gaborone massacre when 12 people died during an apartheid raid.
Provincial MEC for culture, arts and traditional affairs Tebogo Modise led a delegation that compromised government officials and members of the media.
In her remarks, Modise said: “Matthews was a man of integrity and honour. He dedicated his life to the people of South Africa and Botswana.
“He was one of the first people to draft the Freedom Charter and was a man of his time. Matthews, ironically, was one who, in some ways, stood apart from and even ahead of that time. It was in this that his greatness inspired all of us,” Modise said.
“Matthews, who died at the age of 68, was the first ambassador for Botswana to the US. He was a towering figure in the 20th century. He did not just bestride the continent of Africa but became a political colossus of the entire world stage,” she said.
Matthews was the first black person to obtain a BA LLB degree in South Africa.
*NB: The article first appeared on The New Age newspaper
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