Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature honours struggle heroes by renaming committee rooms
The families and former colleagues of some of the struggle heroes came out in numbers to celebrate this milestone.
On a quest to honour some of the struggle heroes who have shaped the history of the province, the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature held a ceremony to rename committee rooms in Building 1 of the Riverside Government Complex’s Baobab Buildings on Thursday March 14.
The Members’ Lounge was renamed the Thoko Mabena Members’ Lounge, the video conferencing room is now called Inkosi Bheki Mnisi House, committee room 4 is now known as James ‘JJ’ Skosana House, committee room 5 was named the Refiloe Mahlobogoane House, committee room 7 becomes the Elias Ginindza House, and the piazza outside is now the Jackson Mthembu Square.
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These are former members and individuals who made their mark in the Provincial Legislature. The six families of these heroes were in attendance and were celebrating as they saw that their loved ones being acknowledged for the work they had done.
The Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature’s speaker, Makhosazane Masilela, said they want to honour and celebrate the contributions made by these former predecessors. “Our committee rooms have been named according to the representatives of those who made the sacrifice and significant contribution towards freedom. This includes contributions in our sector as a whole and also recognises those who had passed away with their boots on, either on duty or as members of the legislature and parliament.”
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During an interview with Jacob Mabena, the former MEC and husband of the late Thoko, he said, “The fact that the legislature recognises the role my wife had played in the province, makes us happy. She was also involved in the national platform as an NEC member of the Women’s League and played a role in the SA women dialogue. She died in her boots because when she passed in Australia on April 20, 2007, she was attending an international conference on public accounts.”
Michael Buyisiwe Mthembu said, “As the Mthembu family we would like to thank the Provincial Legislature for honouring our brother in this way. The recognition and gesture means a lot to us.”
