The Minister in the Presidency for Performance Monitoring and Evaluation, Collins Chabane, praised the late George Phadagi at the latter's funeral service at Tswinga on Saturday.

The funeral was attended by political heavyweights, including the Chief Whip of the Limpopo Legislature, Jan Tsiane, Minister Richard Baloyi, and Free State MEC for Safety and Security Butane Khompela, as well as a host of others who crossed paths with the late politician in the 1980s.

Chabane said the former Limpopo MEC for Safety and Security was one of the leaders who reintroduced the ANC after it was unbanned. “We travelled on foot and in taxis and we had nothing, but it did not deter him from fighting for the cause of liberation,” Chabane told thousands of mourners.

Chabane said Phadagi’s hard work in his quest for liberation was the reason his committee approved the application by the Limpopo government that he be given a special official funeral. All the speakers paid glowing tributes to the former ANC and UDF stalwart and said he had been selfless.

The funeral service at the Tswinga sports ground was attended by scores of political activists who were active in the 1980s.

In a tribute to Phadagi, Chabane told the mourners that he had met Phadagi in 1990 after he (Chabane) had come from Robben Island. He said Phadagi had played a big role during the formation of ANC branches in Vhembe.

Chabane also praised Vhembe for having produced gallant fighters of his stature like Umkhonto we Sizwe's Peter Ravhambelani (who also hails from Tswinga), the late George Ramudzuli and Mr David Malada, known as Dambuza in army ranks.

Former ANC chairman Falaza Mdaka, who represented the ANC in Vhembe, described Phadagi as a “selfless revolutionary who was a unifier”.

Phadagi was born in 1952 at Tswinga village. He became a founding member and vice-president of the UDF-aligned Northern Transvaal action committee in 1985. He also served as the chairperson of the UDF in the Far North region and later became one of the members of the ANC interim leadership core after the unbanning of the ANC and the release of Nelson Mandela in 1990.

He was the first mayor of the Greater Thohoyandou Transitional Local council in 1995.  Mathale appointed Phadagi to replace the late MEC for Public Works, Sparks Ramagoma, in the Limpopo cabinet. He was later moved to Safety and Security, but lost the position during a recent cabinet reshuffle.