Pretoria - President Jacob Zuma will preside over the reburial of renowned journalist Nat Nakasa’s remains at Heroes’ Acre in Chesterville, Durban, on 13 September.
Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa announced this on Tuesday after he landed at King Shaka International Airport in Durban with Nakasa’s remains from the United States, where he was buried 49 years ago.
“We will continue working closely with KwaZulu-Natal as we prepare for Nakasa’s reburial on 13 September. Nakasa will be accorded a reburial ceremony befitting an icon of his stature. President Jacob Zuma will preside over the ceremony,” Minister Mthethwa said.
He said the repatriation of the journalist’s remains marks the culmination of a journey that began 50 years ago when Nakasa left his motherland on an exit permit, making him a stateless person.
“We are proud to say we have restored his dignity and given him back his citizenship. This occasion is the fulfilment of his dream for a free society, where every man is treated with respect and dignity.
“It also brings closure and healing to the family,” said Minister Mthethwa during a welcoming ceremony at the airport.
Grave visit in the US
Minister Mthethwa said when they arrived in New York last Wednesday, they headed to Ferncliff Cemetery for Nakasa’s family to see the gravesite, where he was laid to rest 49 years ago.
Nakasa was buried near Malcolm X’s grave. The two had first met in Africa and became friends. Ultimately, they died within months of each other in 1965. The same cemetery is the final resting place of American novelist James Baldwin.
The exhumation
Nakasa’s remains were exhumed from American soil on Friday, 15 August, where his family was given a chance to view the remains.
The family decided not to remove the soil from Nakasa’s bones, thus symbolically keeping the bond that he had with the people of America and the rest of the world.
Reflection on Nakasa
“The last few days offered us an opportunity to reflect on the meaning and impact of Nat Nakasa’s life. This is a life that has touched many people in a variety of ways.
“There is no doubt in our mind that Nakasa was a complex figure, an articulate journalist and a highly gifted writer. In fact, he was a man who defined his time through his lived experiences and writings,” said Minister Mthethwa.
The Minister said Nakasa returns to a South Africa that is remarkably different from the one that he left 50 years ago.
Minister Mthethwa said he was sure Nakasa would be happy that South Africa is celebrating 20 Years of Freedom, for which he fervently fought.
“We are repatriating Nakasa’s body and spirit back to his ancestral land just over a month after the passing away of his dear friend, colleague and fellow writer, Nadine Gordimer,” he said.
Gordimer was the last person to see him off at the then Jan Smuts Airport in Johannesburg. Nakasa died on 14 July 1965. Gordimer died on 13 July 2014.
“Today marks the reunification of Nat Nakasa with his people. We are proud to say to the world that Nakasa has returned to his ancestral land, not as a native of nowhere but as a true South African patriot, an African and as a citizen of the world,” said Minister Mthethwa.
Celebrating Nakasa’s legacy
As part of the Nat Nakasa: Bringing Home a Hero project, the Department of Arts and Culture -- together with the Departments of Basic and Higher Education, in partnership with SANEF and Drum magazine -- will run the Nat Nakasa Essay Competition from 15 August to 12 September 2014.
The winners of the essay competition will be announced on 12 September 2014 at Nakasa’s memorial service. The City of eThekwini is currently running an exhibition that captures Nakasa’s life at the Oral History Museum in Durban.
“The exhibition will run until the end of the year. In the week preceding the reburial, we will run a number of programmes, including debate competitions, panel discussions and public lectures,” said Minister Mthethwa. - SAnews.gov.za
