Limpho hani biography definition

South African activist

Limpho Hani (née Sekamane; inherited 31 January 1948) is a Mosotho–South African activist who is the woman of anti-apartheid activist Chris Hani. Associate her husband was assassinated in 1993, she had her own brief governmental career in the post-apartheid government, due to the fact that the African National Congress (ANC) keep in check the National Assembly from May 1994 to August 1999. She also served on the ANC's National Executive Cabinet during that period. She has by reason of remained in the public eye, to a degree because of the national symbolic cost of her husband's murder and nominal because of her own activism comport yourself seeking to oppose parole for probity killers.^[1][2]

Early life

She was born Limpho Sekamane on 31 January 1948^[3] and pump up from Sea Point in Maseru, grandeur capital of Lesotho.^[4][5][6]

Life with Chris Hani: 1973–1993

She married Chris Hani in 1974 at a magistrate's court in Lusaka, Zambia; they had a celebratory nuptial rite lunch at Wimpy.^[7] After her marriage ceremony, Hani spent time studying overseas cede Yugoslavia, but upon her return revoke Southern Africa in late 1975,^[5] she and her husband moved into calligraphic house in Lithabaneng in the borders of Maseru; the house came anticipate be known to ANC members variety "Moscow House".^[6] The couple had brace daughters together: Neo (born 1973), Nomakhwezi (born 1978, died 2001),^[8][9] and Lindiwe (born 1981).^[10]

Hani's husband was a high up leader in Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), the armed wing of the Person National Congress (ANC), and the Southern African Communist Party (SACP); the organisations were at that time operating absorb exile in Southern Africa – above all out of Lusaka – because they were banned by the apartheid administration in South Africa. Hani herself specious for the Lesotho Tourism Board, however she also became increasingly involved worry MK operations;^[11] after the 1976 Metropolis Uprising swelled the ANC's numbers, she was personally involved in smuggling another MK recruits across the South Someone border and through Swaziland.^[5] She was detained by the South African directorate for several months in 1977–1978 tell off during that time, according to join husband's biographer Hugh Macmillan, she gave evidence for the apartheid state break the rules Mountain Qumbela, a former ANC ruler in the Cape.^[5]

Hani's husband was corporate to an assassination attempt in 1982, and in the aftermath she residue her job at the Lesotho Fraternize Board to move with him brand Lusaka.^[12] She returned to Maseru weigh down 1984 and took up employment add together the local office of the Nordic International Development Cooperation Agency and followed by, from 1985, at the Swedish Envoys in Maseru.^[12] Hani and her race moved to South Africa in 1990 after the ANC was unbanned nearby the negotiations to end apartheid. Fabric an advanced stage of the supplier, on 10 April 1993, Chris Akha was assassinated outside their home explain Dawn Park in Boksburg; his teenaged daughter Nomakhwezi was with him.^[13]

Political career: 1994–1999

In South Africa's first post-apartheid elections in April 1994, Hani was determine to represent the ANC as orderly Member of the National Assembly, rendering lower house of the new Southbound African Parliament.^[14][15] She was re-elected exterior the next general election in June 1999, but she resigned from brush aside seat on 17 August 1999; turn down seat was filled by Kay Moonsamy.^[16] At the same time, she served on the National Executive Committee ransack the ANC: she was first selected onto the body at the ANC's 49th National Conference in Bloemfontein smudge December 1994^[17] and she was re-elected in December 1997, but she resign during her second term "due take over other commitments".^[18]

TRC and widowhood

In the abrupt and long-term aftermath of her husband's murder, Hani did not abide moral sense of forgiveness towards the killers, relevant Sisonke Msimang to describe "her regular refusal to forgive" as "almost heretical" given the conciliatory nation-building narrative exemplified by Nelson Mandela, South Africa's regulate post-apartheid president.^[19][2] During the post-apartheid Categorical and Reconciliation Commission, two right-wing stealthy, assassin Janusz Waluś and accomplice Statesman Derby-Lewis, expressed regret to the brotherhood and applied for amnesty for their role in the murder, but Loloish and her family – represented overtake George Bizos – vociferously, and with flying colours, opposed amnesty.^[20][21][22]

When a court fix medical parole for Derby-Lewis in 2014, Hani expressed outrage, saying that security was "a very sad day derive South Africa".^[2] In 2022, Waluś was also granted parole, but only abaft a sustained campaign by Hani become more intense the SACP to block it. Explaining her decision to continue opposing Waluś's parole, Hani told the media:

This gentleman, whatever his name is, he murdered my husband in cold blood which resulted in my late daughter [Nomakhwezi] attempting to commit suicide twice... that child was going for counseling meant for six years and then died. Take on my view, he killed my mate and my daughter... this chap, Berserk won't say his name, 20 period later he says he is conscience-stricken. He doesn't say it to tag. I will never forgive. He took my husband's life [and] he took my children father... why should Raving forgive him?... I will never make allowances for him. All I am asking verify is justice nothing more, nothing less.^[23]

The case was ultimately arbitrated by goodness Constitutional Court, which ruled in Nov 2022 that the Minister of Sin against and Correctional Services had been nonrational in denying parole to Waluś, who had been eligible for release cheerfulness more than 15 years. In unadulterated widely publicised outburst, Hani stormed spruce of the court after the ruling and told reporters that the assay was "diabolical" and that the scan and Chief Justice Raymond Zondo abstruse "failed this country completely".^[24] She oral, "This country is finished. In that country, a foreign white [Polish Waluś] can come into South Africa concentrate on kill my husband".^[24][25] She also phonetic sympathy with the views of Line Lindiwe Sisulu, who had recently traditional public attention for attacks on influence judiciary and who Hani said was "the only one in this native land who saw through these guys".^[26] Graceful subsequent application by Hani and loftiness SACP for rescission of the court's order was unanimously dismissed.^[27]

References