Publications
Partners
Former state protocol chief and ambassador, Billy Modise, has been laid to rest after a touching funeral service which gave insight into his “selfless” nature.
Hundreds of mourners thronged the sports club at Marks Park, Johannesburg, on Thursday to pay their last respects to the struggle stalwart who died last week at the age of 87 after a long illness.
President Cyril Ramaphosa, former South African presidents and dignitaries from Sweden and Namibia delivered telling eulogies for Modise who spent over 30 years in exile. He was overwhelmingly descibed as “a selfless and committed teacher who fought against the marginalisation of others”.
Modise, who is best known for his work in building the anti-apartheid movement in the Nordic countries in the 1960s, was praised by Swedish ambassador to South Africa, Cecilia Julin.
Julin said she first encountered Modise as a young man in the 1960s soon after he accepted a scholarship to Lund University in Sweden.
During that first encounter, Julin said Modise took then Prime Minister Tage Erlander to task after the former Lund University alumni had finished addressing students at the university.
“He walked right up to him and in his usual charismatic manner explained to Erlander that he was from South Africa and pleaded with him to impose sanctions on the apartheid government to which Erlander advised him to lobby the Swedes to change the law as he had no powers to do so,” said Julin.
Modise then apparently took up the suggestion and lobbied the Swedish community until the government eventually instated sanctions and boycotts on South African products.
“On behalf of the Swedish government and the Swedish people I would like to thank Billy for making the Swedish society aware of the injustice and immoral system that was apartheid. Through his tireless explaining of the injustice and cruelty of this awful system and through his strong arguments for boycotts and sanctions, he made the Swedes aware of the crime committed and made us engage in the struggle for democracy and human rights, and for this we thank you very much,” said Julin.
Namibian vice president Nangolo Mbumba also expressed an overwhelming sense of continental and global loss with the passing of the late stalwart.
Mbumba told of how Modise had been instrumental in the formulation and running of the United Nations Institute for Namibia which has since been influential in grooming Namibian political leaders.
“The current President of Namibia Hage Geingob is a product of the institution as well as the country’s justice minister and presidential economic adviser, so as much as South Africa claims him as its own, Modise has also been instrumental in shaping the political leaders in Namibia.
“He was a true African. Yes he might have been South African by birth, but in contributions and values he contributed immensely towards the betterment of the whole of Africa,” said Mbumba.
Former South African first lady and chair of Accord Board of Trustees, Graça Machel, said Modise’s contributions did not end pre-democracy.
Machel revealed that Modise had recently joined the Accord Board of Trustees, a group of distinguished individuals who advocate for equitable and sustainable development in Africa.
“His [Modise’s] presence as a panel member has boosted the board, particularly his wealth of experience and depth in knowledge has come in handy whether in negotiations with rebel leaders or diplomats.”
His daughter, Thandiwe Modise, however chose to remember him for his more relatable attributes such as his “jovial nature and satirical inclination”.
Thandiwe said he loved “ballroom dancing and even formulated a band with his friend, former Zambian president, Rupiah Banda”, which he called “Billy and Banda”.
“When he was in Sweden, my dad formulated a plan to get my mother to join him in exile and as usual he sought the assistant of his friend Banda,” Thandiwe said. “Banda asked to see the picture of this lady that his friend was plotting to have join him in exile and when he saw the picture he suggested that he would marry her and then leave for Zambia with her upon which he would divorce her and Billy would marry her.”
Modise’s wife, Yolisa, who had been quietly observing proceedings until this point, broke out in a smile.
President Cyril Ramaphosa captured the mood of the day as he said: “We are here to celebrate his life not out of a sense of ritual, duty or protocol but we are drawn here to pay our respects out of a deep and abiding affection for comrade Billy Modise.”
The funeral service brought together Ramaphosa and former presidents Thabo Mbeki and Kgalema Motlanthe under one roof.
Modise was later laid to rest across the road from Marks Park, at the West Park Cemetery.
