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When President Jacob Zuma read out the list of recipients for the 2016 national orders, names were transformed into human stories of heroism and untold sacrifice.
In total, 32 recipients from South Africa and abroad were awarded for their exceptional service to humanity.
Although each of the 32 is unique in their own way, the passion to work towards a better country and world runs through all of them. They are irrefutable proof that activism works when it is linked to a just cause. But more than that they have showed that true activism amounts to more than just a campaign on social media, a petition or a catchy hashtag.
At its root, activism means placing the needs of others first, getting your hands dirty, and often entails great personal sacrifice. Activists are engaged in their cause; they work within communities and never stop, no matter the obstacles in their path.
Our history abounds with such people and their inspiring stories.
I have no doubt that in time the 32 recipients of the 2016 national orders will join the legion of heroes and heroines from our nation and beyond who dared to stand up and make a difference. I am confident that their stories, their sacrifice and their selflessness will continue to echo through time and will inspire future generations to do the same.
Our national orders celebrate the inclusiveness and diversity of a democratic South Africa, our people and our place in the African continent. They embody all that is good about a democratic South Africa.
This year’s recipients stand as a reminder that ordinary people can rise to become leaders, and can do the most extraordinary things. I join the nation in applauding their exceptional achievement and extraordinary contributions.
The 2016 recipients embody the spirit of freedom and human endeavour. They represent the best of us, and include heroes from our painful past, as well as current guardians of science, the arts, business, social justice and freedom and democracy.
During his address to the assembled recipients President Jacob Zuma said: “We confer the Order of Mendi, the Order of Ikhamanga, the Order of the Baobab, the Order of Luthuli, the Order of Mapungubwe and the Order of the Companions of OR Tambo to distinguished persons who have demonstrated that it takes ordinary men and women to make our country and the world a better place.”
These words should act as a rallying call; a reminder that we all have a role to play in building our nation. The role we play may be great or minor, it may be heroic or it may help in ensuring social justice; but every contribution counts.
Among this year’s recipients of the Order of Mendi were 10 stalwarts of the liberation struggle and freedom fighters. The Order of Mendi is awarded to any South African who has performed extraordinary acts of bravery anywhere in the world, who put their lives in danger or ultimately lost it in trying to save the lives of others.
The stories of Hermanus Loots, Ulysses Modise, Joseph Nduli and others are part of the folklore from our unpleasant past. They were part of the Luthuli detachment, named after ANC President-General Chief Albert Luthuli. They were the spearhead of a joint operation by the ANC guerrillas and the Zimbabwean African People’s Union who were dispatched on July 31 1967 to infiltrate South Africa.
Sadly these awards were all made posthumously. As was the Order of Mendi award to Sam Ntuli, who paid the ultimate price for his tireless work at promoting peace in Thokoza in the East Rand during the horrific state sponsored violence that raged in the 1980s and early 1990s.
The other recipients in no particular order are: Ndaliso Ngcayiya, Maqashu Leonard Mdingi, Dr Sizakele Sigxashe, Major-General Peter Lesego Tshikare, Major-General Jacqueline “Jackie” Sedibe, Peter Sello Motau, Dr Benedict Wallet Vilakazi, Laurika Rauch, Thomas Hasani Chauke, Sylvia “Magogo” Glasser, Dr Marguerite Poland, Professor Rosina Phakeng, Professor Helen Rees, Marina Nompinti Maponya, Suliman Saloojee, Brian Francis Bishop, Dr Simon Gqubule, Mac Maharaj, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, Mary Thipe, Amy Rietstein Thornton, John Zikhali, Msizi Harrison Dube, Cleopas Madoda Nsibande, Zwelakhe Sisulu, Noureddine Djoudi, Maria Petronella Adriana Kint and President Michelle Bachelet Jeria, the president of the Republic of Chile.
To try and single out the remarkable achievements of all 32 recipients is an impossibility. Their accomplishments stand for all to see and will no doubt continue to inspire us all.
Their achievements are an affirmation of the greater good of humankind. They are a reminder that although we have come a long way in transforming our nation more must still be done.
Their stories remind us that we dare not rest until we have built a country where opportunities are available for all, and where all South Africans are afforded a chance to better their lives. The government joins all South Africans in saluting the 2016 recipients. We will never forget their sacrifices.
* Lubisi is director-general in the presidency and chancellor of the national orders.
