An MK cadre, David Madoda Nembahe, who died 23 years ago and was buried in the former Bophuthatswana, was reburied on Saturday.

Nembahe of Tshituni Tsha Fhasi outside Louis Trichardt had been secretly buried with a comrade, after killing themselves after being surrounded by forces of the former government. MK forces had strict instructions to commit suicide if trapped, rather than give the enemy information about other comrades.

The exhumation and reburial came about after an order by the NPA Missing Persons Unit ordered that all missing cadres who died and were secretly buried be traced and handed back to their families. Ever since this was made an order, many bodies were found, but many are still to be accounted for, as families are still awaiting the return of their loved ones.

The process to identify Nembahe was a very delicate exercise as two bodies were buried on top of each other. Specialists had to work overtime trying to identify the two, but with the help of DNA tests, they were able to unravel the mystery and this led to the reburial last week.

The other skeleton has been positively identified as the remains of his comrade, Petrus Ramodlehe, from Bloemfontein, with whom he was at the time of their death.

The military reburial last week Saturday marks the end of a 23-year-long wait by the family for his body to come home and have a dignified burial. He received full military honours, with a 21-gun salute during his funeral.

The Nembehe family spokesperson, Hyson Musandiwa, described David as a leader during the 1976 student uprisings in Soweto and said he was instrumental in the formation of the Tshiawelo Afro Progressive Youth Movement (TAPYM) and later became its president. The movement later became a safe haven for young students who did not go to school, because they had rejected the Bantu Education system, Musandiwa said.

Nembahe left South Africa for Botswana in February 1978, where he joined Umkhonto We Sizwe. He received training as an MK cadre and infiltrated the country on missions on numerous occasions until their capture by the South African Police Force on a mission in Mafikeng on January 3, 1986.

Former MK Unit Commander Vele Matshatshe said Nembahe’s death should act as a unifying factor in the ruling party. “Nembahe didn’t die for a divided African National Congress, but for a united ANC. “We worked together in Zimbabwe before he was deployed to Botswana by the MK. We must defend the policy of the ANC,” he said.