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The SACP has received with sadness the news of the passing away of Mrs Mandulini Linah Smangele Mabhida, well known to us as MaMabhida, the wife of our late General Secretary and that giant of the South African revolution, Moses ‘Stimela' Mabhida. This is one of the unsung heroines of our struggle who played a major supporting role in shaping the revolutionary giant that our late General Secretary Cde Moses Mabhida was.

For many years the Mabhida family had to endure harassment by the notorious apartheid police security branch that for decades used to visit and harass the family to, amongst other things, try and find out about the whereabouts of Cde Mabhida. MaMabhida had to endure this pain whilst at the same time having to protect and bring up the children, trying her best that they get proper upbringing like any children. Despite all these and many other difficulties, she remained loyal and committed to her husband, whose mortal remains she received a few years ago from Mozambique for reburial in Pietermaritzburg.

MaMabhida like many other women who were spouses to freedom fighters performed this kind of painful ‘unpaid labour' all for the success of the revolution. She had also been blind for a long time before her passing away.

We dip our revolutionary red banner in her honour and memory and pass our deepest condolences to family, relatives and friends. The SACP General Secretary, Cde Blade Nzimande, will pay his last respects to Mandulini Mabhida by attending her funeral service at Mbali 1 sports ground in Peitemaritzburg this coming Saturday, 3rd October 2009. MaMabhida will be laid to rest at Ethembeni Cemetry.