SOUTH Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa joined mourners on Sunday to pay tribute to the country’s Ambassador to France, Nkosinathi “Nathi” Mthethwa, describing him as a remarkable leader whose courage and conviction helped steer the nation toward freedom and justice.
Speaking at a special official funeral in Kwa-Mbonambi, KwaZulu-Natal, Ramaphosa eulogised Mthethwa as an “unapologetic activist” who refused to accept the injustice of apartheid from his earliest days of activism.
“The man we are laying to rest today was an unapologetic activist,” Ramaphosa told the gathering, which included government ministers, members of parliament, KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli, the diplomatic corps, and ANC leadership.
Mthethwa joined the anti-apartheid struggle in the early 1980s as a teenager, working as a shop steward at Just Juice factory and later becoming involved in the high-stakes Operation Vula, initiated by former ANC president Oliver Tambo.
The president detailed Mthethwa’s extensive political career, which spanned over two decades in public service. He rose through the ranks of the ANC Youth League from regional secretary to national executive roles, became a Member of Parliament in 2002, and served approximately 15 years in Cabinet.
His ministerial portfolios included Police Minister and Minister of Arts, Culture and Sport. He also served as ANC Chief Whip and chaired parliamentary committees before taking up his diplomatic post in France.
“He saw public service not just as a position of power, but as a duty,” Ramaphosa said. “He believed that government must serve, uplift, protect, and heal.”
In his address to Mthethwa’s widow, Philisiwe Buthelezi, and their children, the president acknowledged the family’s private sacrifices. “We recognise the many private sacrifices you made so that Comrade Nathi might carry public burdens,” he said.
Ramaphosa urged mourners to honour Mthethwa’s memory through renewed commitment to the freedoms he fought for and by confronting inequality wherever it still exists.
The president highlighted several lessons from Mthethwa’s life, particularly for young people and those in government, emphasizing his commitment to service over self-aggrandisement and his advocacy for culture and heritage as tools for national healing and unity.
Quoting from a 2013 article Mthethwa wrote as editor-in-chief of the ANC journal Umrabulo, Ramaphosa read: “True cadres never aspire to or have an uncontrollable lust to lead. The main motivation for true leaders is to serve the movement and the masses at any level.”
The president recalled Mthethwa’s work as Police Minister, including his advocacy against gender-based violence, his leadership during violent protests against foreign nationals, and his progressive Pan-Africanist stance.
As Arts and Culture Minister, Mthethwa championed legislative reform to protect artists and performers from exploitation and developed the creative economy.
In his concluding remarks, Ramaphosa called on South Africans to emulate Mthethwa’s example: “Let his life be not just remembered—but emulated.”
The funeral was attended by traditional leaders, religious leaders, and members of the Mthethwa family from the Nyambose lineage.
