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By ORAPELENG MATSHEDISO

Reading from what comrade President Oliver Tambo had to say about the late Zambia President, Ntate Kenneth Kaunda, I am convinced that indeed, he was a true Pan Africanist, a committed patriot and a selfless leader of our continent.

On 16 December 1990, at the ANC rally that was held at Soccer City in Johannesburg, Ntate President Oliver Tambo said: “I came on Thursday, having spent a whole week with the world’s greatest man, Kenneth David Kaunda in Zambia. I ought to let you know that hidden somewhere in the chest of that man, lies a great lover of humanity.

“He also sent a team of six of his top men to accompany the flight he offered to bring us home. Three of them are present in this gathering. We are more than grateful to him.”

The former President, Thabo Mbeki in his tribute to Ntate Kenneth Kaunda, has eloquently posited that this astute leader of the mother continent housed and supported the ANC headquarters for 20 years in his country, Zambia under his presidency.

Indeed, ingrained in his heart was a love for the people of Africa as a whole, Ntate Kaunda was a leader whose brilliant mind was never on recess. It is vividly clear that this fallen hero and a patriot of note had unflinching love for the ANC and the liberation of our continent from the yoke of colonialism.

Let I befittingly borrow the words of the former President and astute Vietnamese communist leader, comrade Ho Chi Minh to describe Ntate Kenneth Kaunda.

“I have had only one aim in life; to struggle for the good of the country and the well-being of my people. It is for this reason that I have had to hide in the mountains and crouch in prison. Whatever the moment, whatever the place, I have had a single aim, the interest of the nation, the good of the people.

“About personal matters-all my life, I have served the fatherland, the revolution, and the people with all my heart and strength. If I should now depart from this world, I would have nothing to regret, except not being able to serve longer and more.”

Accordingly, his departure serves as an end of an era of the generation of African leaders who were prepared to die in defense of the mother continent and their natural resources. Indeed, Dr Kaunda dedicated his entire life to the service of humanity.

Therefore, in his honor, let us preserve the rich history of the ANC. Let us defend and advance its unity, renewal, and rebuilding program.Let us resuscitate Pan-Africanism and advance Africa’s agenda 2063, as well as strengthening African Union and its structures in pursuance of transformation and development of the continent.

This fallen Pan Africanist would definitely be welcomed by his generation, which formed Organization of African Unity OAU.

He will have to present a comprehensive report to comrade Julius Nyerere, Kwame Nkrumah, SekuToure, General Gamal Abdul Nasser, and many other departed heroes and heroines on the state of the continent and its Pan-Africanist agenda.

As an honest leader, he would give a true account of the state of African Union, which is the successor organization of OAU and how the current generation of African leaders have allowed Africa’s resources to be used to develop Western countries, while many of our fellow brothers and sisters in the continent are living in abject poverty, harrowing unemployment and inequality as well as underdevelopment.

I am quite certain that in his report, he would include the recent developments and anarchy that occurred at the Pan-Africanist Parliament.

Rest in peace Ntate Kenneth Kaunda, a leader par excellence and a Pan-Africanist of note.

Note: Orapeleng Vanilla Matshediso is a former Secretary-General and the President of the Students Representative Council (SRC) at North West University. He is also the former President of Golden Key International Honour Society at NWU and a member of the ANC at Dr Ruth Mompati Region in North West. He writes in his personal capacity as a social activist and his views do not necessarily represent Taung DailyNews or its associates.