-
Don Nkadimeng’s memorial lecture at his home in Mankweng, near Polokwane, in Limpopo.
Veteran politician and member of the Azanian People Organisation (AZAPO), Advocate Mojanku Gumbi, says former AZAPO chairperson in Limpopo, Don Nkadimeng strongly advocated for reparation and compensation to Africans for suffering slavery and colonialism.
She was delivering Nkadimeng’s memorial lecture at his home in Mankweng, near Polokwane in Limpopo. “Bra Don” as he was widely known, was a founding member of AZAPO in April 1978. He was also the first provincial chairperson of AZAPO in Limpopo.
Nkadimeng died last year, at the age of 77.
WATCH | A memorial lecture for freedom fighter Don Nkadimeng is being held in Mankweng, east of Polokwane, honouring the AZAPO founder and Black Consciousness Movement activist. SABC News reporter Lutendo Bobodi is there. pic.twitter.com/chMAauzylM
— SABC News (@SABCNews) April 25, 2026
Don Nkadimeng was an unwavering proponent of black consciousness from the late 1970s. Gumbi says Nkadimeng was strongly opposed to what he called foreign interference in the political affairs of African countries.
She says he also advocated for restorative justice and compensation for slavery and colonialism and their lasting economic and social impact on Africans
“On the international front, I have said Don was also an internationalist and a man of solidarity. He would be at the forefront of calling for the erstwhile colonisers of Africa to leave the continent and allow us to resolve our own problems. Finally, reparations for slavery and for what happened to us as a people are now on the international legal agenda,” says Gumbi.
Gumbi says Nkadimeng also fought for the rights of women during the apartheid era.
“I sent the message during the funeral about Don also being a feminist at a time when the system was after him. He continued to pay my salary for seven months when I was pregnant and sick and I wasn’t bringing a penny into the law firm. But he continued to pay my salary. And that’s why I say this man was a feminist when feminism was not a popular word in those days.”
Former AZAPO president, Dr Mosibudi Mangena, has hailed Nkadimeng for his leadership qualities during challenging times.
“Even after him completing his law studies that activism continued. He had a practice here in Polokwane and he was defending people especially those who were charged with the fight against oppression for free in many cases. And at one time he became chairmen on Azapo in Limpopo it was then called Northern Transvaal.”
Nkadimeng’s daughter, Lebogang Nkadimeng, says the family is still mourning his passing.
“Honestly we still mourn him and not because of a life cut short or unfinished but because he lived it fully and with purpose. And his presence in our lives it was in a way that can never be replaced. He was a gentle father and one would think having six girls did that to him but he was just a gentleman.”
Earlier, Nkadimeng’s family and friends unveiled his tombstone at the local cemetery.
