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George Nene: ‘A man of impeccable integrity and superior intellect’

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Minister in the Presidency for planning, monitoring and evaluation, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma speaking at the funeral of former ambassador George Nene at the Morris Isaacson High Hall in Soweto, Johannesburg. Picture: Dirco
Minister in the Presidency for planning, monitoring and evaluation, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma speaking at the funeral of former ambassador George Nene at the Morris Isaacson High Hall in Soweto, Johannesburg. Picture: Dirco

Former South African ambassador to Nigeria and Switzerland, George Nene, was praised as a thoughtful and ethical leader who led a life of service to South Africa.

Nene was laid to rest on Friday at Avalon cemetery in Soweto following his passing on April 6.

Members of government, diplomats, family and friends gathered at the Morris Isaacson High School hall to say their final goodbyes to the revered ambassador.

Among the speakers was minister in the presidency, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, who read out a message of condolence from President Cyril Ramaphosa at the ceremony.

She attended the University of Zululand with Nene and later they became colleagues in government.

Before she read out the message from the president, Dlamini-Zuma recalled some memories with Nene: “He taught me a lot of diplomacy. When I became minister I learnt a lot from him and others, especially multilateralism, so he taught all of us.”

Friends and colleagues of Nene shared some fond memories of their close friend.

“I’m happy that we are at this school because that’s where I met George Nene for the first time in 1967 when we were doing our matric year,” said Ambassador Welile Nhlapo.

In a light-hearted comment Nhlapo said: “We were not necessarily in the same class but we’d converge when it [was] Zulu period.

"Now of course I found myself with them in that Zulu class and I always told them that according to my reference book my tribe is officially Swazi and Sotho and therefore I’m a coloured,” to which the crowd laughed.

From that class Nhlapo and Nene became friends and met again in university where they shared accommodation space.

“And of course we started getting very active in politics [with] the South African Student Organisation (SASO).

"When Steve Biko came to launch the branch of SASO at the University of Zululand we became some of the most active people in that SASO,” he said.

Visibly emotional during his eulogy to Nene, Siphiwe Nyanda, a former uMkhonto weSizwe general, said Nene was not just a friend but a family member.

“There’s so much relationship between me and George, I knew him for more than 50 years and we had so much in common, we struck an instant friendship,” he said.

“Every time we had anything at my place on very few occasions was George not there, because he was part of my family,” added Nyanda.

Also in attendance was former presidents Kgalema Motlanthe and Thabo Mbeki, social development minister Susan Shabangu, public service and administration minister Ayanda Dlodlo, ANC Johannesburg regional chair Parks Tau and Gauteng premier David Makhura, among others.

“Bra George has given his entire life to the most sacred and most sublime of all human causes and that is the liberation of humankind,” said Makhura.

“He was a man of impeccable integrity and superior intellect but always with this humble demeanour.

“Those of us who are in government today must be seriously challenged to emulate his exemplary conduct as a committed civil servant who served his people with characteristic honour, humility and distinction,” he added.

Two years ago Nene retired from the Department of International relations and Cooperation (Dirco), previously he was the chairperson of the South African Association of Former Ambassadors, South Africa’s first High Commissioner to Nigeria, former permanent representative of South Africa to the United Nations in Geneva and former deputy director-general multilateral at Dirco.

Before 1994 he was a teacher at Isaac Morrison High School where he once attended.

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