President Ramaphosa to Deliver Inaugural Nokuthula Simelane Memorial Lecture
Pretoria, The Gulf Observer: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will deliver the inaugural Nokuthula Simelane Memorial Lecture at the University of Mpumalanga on Thursday, September 3, 2026.
Nokuthula Simelane was an anti-apartheid activist and liberation struggle hero who was abducted, tortured and murdered by apartheid-era Special Branch police in the 1980s.
According to the Presidency, the memorial lecture is being established as a national platform to promote dialogue on democracy, social justice, ethical leadership, gender equality, human rights and nation-building, while preserving and advancing the legacy of Simelane and other heroes and heroines of South Africa’s liberation struggle.
“The Memorial Lecture seeks to create a national conversation on justice, accountability, truth, reconciliation and the unfinished business of South Africa’s democratic transition,” the Presidency said in a statement.
The inaugural lecture will be hosted by the Nokuthula Simelane Foundation.
The Presidency said Simelane had dedicated her life to the struggle for freedom and democracy and “paid the ultimate price in service of the people of South Africa.”
In 2024, Simelane was posthumously awarded the Order of Luthuli in Gold in recognition of her exceptional bravery and contribution to the struggle for freedom.
President Ramaphosa has previously described her disappearance as a wound that will never heal for her family, underscoring the enduring impact of her abduction and death.
