President honours Hani

The life and legacy of Chris Hani was celebrated at his gravesite, on Friday.

Hani is buried at the Thomas Titus Nkobi Memorial Park in Elspark.

President of South Africa Jacob Zuma was among the honoured guests who attended to pay homage to the late struggle veteran.

He was the first person to lay a wreath during the wreath laying ceremony at Hani’s grave.

Hani’s wife, Limpho, and the executive mayor of Ekurhuleni, Clr Mondli Gungubele, as well as representatives of various political parties and organisations also laid wreaths during the ceremony.

This year marked the 22nd anniversary of Hani’s death.

He was assassinated in Boksburg, at his Dawn Park home, on April 10, 1993.

The metro has dubbed the month of April “Chris Hani Month” and Friday’s event was one of the highlights on South Africa’s political calendar.

During the course of the event, Zuma declared Hani’s grave a Heritage Site and he unveiled the newly constructed Chris Hani Memorial and Wall of Remembrance Monument.

The Chris Hani Memorial commemorates the life of the man and celebrates his far reaching political legacy.

It takes the form of a circle to symbolise unity, equality and inclusion, while the four concrete columns represent the four pillars underpinning the struggle.

The shape of the pillars is significant in their reference to the Wild Gladiolus – these flowers are endemic to the Transkei (the birthplace of Hani).

The Wall of Remembrance Monument is a celebration of the lives of the martyrs of South Africa’s struggle for the freedom of all humanity.

Between the memorial and the wall lies the Walk of Remembrance.

It is a curving, contemplative meander, uniting the two in a journey through the trials of struggle heroes.

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Lessons every South African can learn from the life of Chris Hani