Rest in Peace, Comrade

It has been a sad month in South Africa. First, Albertina Sisulu, wife of Walter Sisulu and the mother of the nation, passed away on June 2nd, at the ripe old age 92. And, just as the country was coming to terms with the loss of such an iconic figure and struggle stalwart, we woke up on the 22nd of June to hear the terrible news that Professor Kader Asmal had succumbed to a heart attack, after months of suffering from cancer.

Asmal was more than a politician. He was a lawyer, an academic, a freedom fighter, an international statesman, a humanitarian and world-renowned conservationist. He was a steadfast member of the ANC, but that did not mean he was blind to the wrongs of the ruling party. He resigned from parliament in 2008 in protest against the disbandment of the Scorpions. He could not reconcile himself with the fact that politicians (read Jacob Zuma) who were found guilty of corruption by the crime fighting unit, were the same ones who voted to disband it. More recently, Asmal was vocal in his opposition to the protection of information bill. Last week, he made his first public appearance in months to urge all South Africans to reject the bill in it's entirety, stating that if the bill is pushed through government, people would lose all faith in the democratic process of our country.

With Asmal's death, the ruling party will no doubt eulogise him and his achievements for the next couple of weeks,  but will they listen to his final message? It's all fine and well to say what a great loss the professor's passing is to the country, but it is far more important to honour his life by following his call to commit this ludicrous bill to the annals of history. Though, I somehow doubt this will happen. It's a sad month indeed.