19/08/2020
Picture by © 2020 Pretoria Society of Advocates
Africa has lost one of its finest soldiers! South Africa has lost one of its great sons of the soil! Let me borrow words from one of Africa great poet, Ingoapele Madingoane when he says, “Africa my beginning Africa my ending”, yes Africa was your beginning and yes Africa my ending.
In 2002 to 2004, when I was scouting for a team of legal counsel to use in transforming the Department of Defence military labour relations, I could not ignore your legal talent, knowledge, experience and skills thus I recommended to my Chief Director Dr Ledwaba and my Director Ms Thuli Manzine, that you be briefed to represent the DOD in military matters.
Maropeng you did not disappoint, you were true cadre as described by Ernesto Che Guevara in 1962 published in Cuba Socialista: “ Cadre is an individual who has achieved sufficient political development to be able to interpret the extensive directives emanating from the central power, make them his, and convey them as orientation to the masses. He is an individual of ideological and administrative discipline, who knows and practices democratic centralism and who knows how to evaluate the existing contradictions in this method and to utilise fully its many facets; who knows how to practice the principle of collective discussion and to make decisions on his own and take responsibility in production; whose loyalty is tested, and whose physical and moral courage has developed along with his ideological development in such a way that he is always willing to confront any conflict and give his life for the good of the revolution. Therefore, the cadre person is creative, a leader of high standing, a technician with a good political level, who by reasoning dialectically can advance his sector of production or develop the masses from his position of political leadership.
Maropeng you where not just an ordinary soldier but a cadre, that contributed in the transformation of the Department of Defence Military Labour Relations with your colleagues, late cadre Adv Jabu Mnguni, cadre Adv Zondeka Makondo and the ever green Adv Lesego Moloisane SC.
I have seen you many times in High Court, a case that I will never forget, is when one of the soldiers shot and killed his commander at Kroonstad military unit and the DOD immediately terminated his service, the union made urgent High Court Application on Friday, the matter was heard on Saturday morning, you succeeded but the Judge who happen to be human right judge advised the union to get the worker to sign power of attorney and approach the court the following day which they did and were granted the relief sought. You prevailed over furious military generals and taught them what is law.
Maropeng your victory in court was my victory at work, without the team I would have never succeeded in transforming military labour relations in the DOD.
Maropeng your team help the Department of Defence to take control of stop order management, implementation of Senior Management Salary package and many other matters.
A great son of the soil has departed! A great intellectual is gone back home! The legal fraternity has lost one its own Maropeng Simmy Lebala! A great legal tree has fallen, we lost its shadow and protection! The family has lost its noble sons, but the masses have lost one of its fine advocates, a revolutionary of great note!
I salute your contribution to the transformation of the DOD military labour relations my leader! I Salute your contribution to the political intent of the Government of the day! I salute your service to mankind specifically to the uneducated!
Simmy you have done what history sent you to do, and you have done it successfully all what is remaining is history to honour your name. More importantly history recognise your sacrifice to bring and maintain the constitutional democracy in South Africa.
We are the tools of history! When we go, history will find other tools! You have done what you came to do in this world, all what is remaining is to return where you came from. It is written that from God we come and unto God we shall return.
Again, let me take this opportunity to speak in tongues: “Fambani kahle mukulukumba, kokwana Maropeng Simmy Lebala! Fambani kahle hosi yamina!”
When sun rises, we will always remember you! When the sun set, we shall always remember you!
Phillip Dhlamini
Secretary General
Pan Africanist Congress of Azania
