The killing of Andries Tatane turned into a game of political football as family and friends bid farewell at the teacher and activist’s funeral.
The community of Meqheleng in the Free State arrived in their thousands for the funeral of Tatane, the 33-year-old father-of-two who was beaten, shot and killed by police during a service delivery protest at the Setsoto municipal offices on April 13.
Rain, biting cold and the Easter weekend did little to deter the mourners, who included COPE leader Mosiuoa Lekota, DA Federal chairman Wilmot James and National Freedom Party leader Zanele Magwaza-Msibi.
The thousands were warned that it was not a party political gathering and not to sing “revolutionary songs”, with one civic group warned they would be killed if they did not stop their sloganeering.
Lekota, who arrived an hour late, reiterated the warning as a COPE member held up a campaign poster next to his party leader.
“He (Tatane) died at the hands of state security agents of our democratic government. Today we see a better life for some, a better life for few. We want a better life for all the people in our country,” Lekota told the cheering crowd.
He encouraged people to vote in the local government polls “for candidates who will bring you water”.
The loudest cheers were for gospel singer Teboho Skosana and Tyrannus Apostolic Church leader Simon Mokoena, who had the crowd on their feet singing.
“The Andries Tatane moment is a moment of understanding. We believe this moment has also called us to order as the ANC… it is a moment like Solomon Mahlangu. It is a moment like Chris Hani. We will never forget,” said ANC provincial secretary Sibongile Besane.
A conspicuous absentee was embattled Setsoto municipality mayor Mbothoma Maduna, who came under fire this week for offering a journalist a bottle of water when asked why the township of Meqheleng had no piped water.
Bottled water was distributed at the funeral.
On Friday, Tatane, who has inspired a community and the country, spent one final night with his family, a curtain separating his coffin from where his wife Rose and three-year-old son Molefi slept.
In the Tatane backyard the family, who had arrived from as far afield as Cape Town and Johannesburg, were joined by a taxi-load of community activists from Bekkersdal in Westonaria.
“What we are fighting for and what Andries Tatane died for is the same thing,” said Thabang Wesi from the Bekkersdal group.
As Tatane’s body was lowered into the muddy ground at Ficksburg cemetery, taking cover from the rain were students from Tatane’s “I can learn” academy.
“I am good at maths because of him. Now there is no one,” said a forlorn 11-year-old, Tumi Maqalika.
Meanwhile Maureen Issacson reports: If the provincial government had addressed the demands of the Meqheleng Concerned Citizens (MCC), Tatane might not have died or been buried yesterday. It is because of the failure of an allegedly corrupt local municipal government that the tipping point was reached in the “forgotten township”. Calls for the mayor’s head and the management of local government were made this week.
But only on Friday did Free State MEC of Co-operative governance Mamiki Qabathe announce that two provincial government teams had been appointed to address service delivery problems and investigate allegations against municipal officials in Meqheleng including fraudulent activity, political appointments, nepotism in tender procurement and lack of transparency. They are included in the memorandum of demands handed to the municipality last month which also called for the urgent dismissal of those responsible for the water crisis, shoddy infrastructure, the failure to provide promised employment, promised black empowerment, and the failure to distribute land and houses. - Sunday Independent