Hi Cde Seroke I agree with you, even though I may not have all the facts. However, the point is that Khoisan X was an bona fide Africanist. Differences prevailing in the movement should not be in the public domain. How crazy can it be if in the media someone can say to the public that Khoisan was not the member of the PAC. Immediately after his passing away, the mainstream media carried various articles with a similar wording' Former PAC leader dies at 55'. I kindly implore anymore to desist to any temptation to spoil the reputation of Khoisan that we should respect, as we will be paying a final respect to him.
Izwe Lethu From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Jaki Seroke Sent: Sunday, October 17, 2010 10:43 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [PAYCO] KHOISAN X - MEMORIAL AND FUNERAL Comrades On Sunday, 17 October, I attended a memorial service in honour of Benny Alexander (Khoisan X) organised by his family, his friends and comrades, his business partners, his spiritual leaders, and the Griqua royal house whom he advised on cultural and political matters. It was a touching ceremony held in the garden of Benny's business colleague, and it affected the participants greatly as speakers recounted their various experiences with him. An arrangement has been made to coordinate the week's events that will lead up to Saturday, 23 October, when this great son of Africa will be taken to his final resting place. On Monday morning, 18 Oct, SAfm will dedicate 09:05 till 10:00 to Khoisan X. Phillip Dlamini, Mark Shinners, Lesaoana Makhanda and possibly his ex-wife, Imani Milima Alexander, will discuss his political life including his experiences as a personal aide to Uncle Zeph Mothopeng, as PAC Secretary General, and how he was mentored in the philosophy and political theory of revolutionary Pan Africanism. His interaction with the Khoisan people will also be attested to. This is a talk show - we encourage all Africanists to call in and express their condolences and fond memories of the fallen comrade. On Wednesday, 20 Oct, a Memorial Service will be for at 11:00 for about three and half hours at the Joburg City Hall on President Street. PAC stalwarts and political allies will be on the platform. Again, we encourage all available Party members and supporters to attend. The funeral will take place in Kimberley on Saturday, 23 Oct. The coordinating committee for the funeral is making final preparations for the programmes of the day. However, the venue is on Long Street in Kimberly and is said to accommodate up to a thousand people. An advance guard is today on the way to the Northern Cape to work on final touches. The event on Sat will start at 07:30. We urge mourners to travel safely, to and fro. In early September I was asked by a comrade and friend from the PAC branch in Alex to arrange that Benny be interviewed on the women's television programme, Motswako, on the cultural heritage of the Khoisan. He agreed without complaining even though he was not well, and had lately been unable to attend our own political sessions on the grounds of ill health. The programme was flighted on the night of September 27, wherein Khoisan X in a feeble voice articulated the cultural heritage of the Khoisan correctly in the context of the PAC's position on the national question. We spoke about it the next day and he wanted to hear my opinion. I merely said the brain drain in the PAC is not doing us any good. We will live to regret our self-styled hara-kiri and death wish. Except for sms messages, we never spoke again after that. Uncle Zeph passed on in October 1990 - Benny Alexander (Khoisan X) died in October 2010. This is my sad and last memory of Benny. My parting shot is that having worked with Khoisan X closely in the leadership of the PAC in the 1990s, I have come to respect the man for his open-mindedness and the ability to take debates and differences of opinion on any issue without holding personal grudges. His infectious laughter and wit took him out of tight corners most of the time, and he was always one man up in adversarial circumstances. He was not a saint and he had his imperfections like all other mortals. We can learn a lot from him and his entire life. All we must do, at this stage, is work towards making his a decent funeral. Uncharacteristic of the PAC, there has been a few loudmouths and liars such as the statement attributed to Mfanelo Skwatsha in the media (SAPA) where he refers to Imani on the wishes of the deceased. Imani says these are deliberate distortions and she has never even spoken to Skwatsha. She then spoke to Letlapa Mphahlele privately to set the record straight - and his apologies were accepted. I say 'uncharacteristic' because never in our history have we used death as a platform to further own personal ends. I don't understand how you could say Benny was not a member of the PAC in public, and yet say in public that his final wishes were that he should be buried by the PAC. This is hypocrisy. What have we come to? We must cease with immediate effect from such vile behaviour. We are all members of the PAC and we must act as such, guided by the Basic Documents. And accept nothing out of character. Izwe lethu iAfrika. Jaki Seroke -- Sending your posting to [email protected] Unsubscribe by sending an email to [email protected] You can also visit http://groups.google.com/group/payco Visit our website at www.mayihlome.wordpress.com The information contained in this message and or attachments is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, retransmission, dissemination or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon, this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and delete the material from any system and destroy any copies. -- Sending your posting to [email protected] Unsubscribe by sending an email to [email protected] You can also visit http://groups.google.com/group/payco Visit our website at www.mayihlome.wordpress.com
