PRESS RELEASE
NO EMBARGO
7 May 2024
AL JAMA-AH mourns the death of PAC veteran Commander Kwedi Mkhaliphi who passed on earlier today
Al Jama-ah Party is deeply saddened by the death of PAC veteran Commander Kwedi Mkhaliphi who passed away yesterday Monday, 6 May 2024.
Mkhaliphi who turned 90 years-old in March, was first arrested in 1952 after he participated in the Defiance Campaign whilst he was a member of the ANC. He joined the PAC in 1959 and played an instrumental role in the anti-pass campaign which led to the massacres of several demonstrators in Sharpeville and Langa by the apartheid regime.
The late Comrade Mkhaliphi was arrested again in 1964 and was charged with sabotage and in 1966 he was sentenced to 20 years hard labour on Robben Island. Mkhaliphi ; also a veteran of the Poqo revolt of 1962; in 1964 he met his wife, Mama Nontombi Ruth Mkhaliphi who was also a member of Poqo’s underground unit.
He embodied unwavering dedication to the ideals of PAC and was steadfast in his belief for the return of the land to the dispossessed Africans. Comrade Mkhaliphi will also be remembered as someone with great humour especially when he was handling complex situations
“Al Jama-ah says South Africans have a responsibility to keep the legacy of Comrade Mkhaliphi alive and he should be recognized as a national hero,” says Hon Ganief Hendricks the party’s leader and Member of Parliament.
Al Jama-ah sends its heartfelt condolences to his wife, Mama Nontombi and family, the PAC, and the marginalized communities he continued to serve.
Hamba Kahle m’Afrika Poqo.
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