ANC veteran and former Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Ben Fihla was awarded the party’s highest honour, the order of Isithwalandwe/Seaparankwe by party president Cyril Ramaphosa at the weekend.
Fihla, who is fondly known as “Oom Ben”, was awarded the honour alongside other veterans such as Dr Tlou Theopholis Cholo (awarded in absentia) and Dr Mana Mildred Ramakaba Lesiea at the ANC’s 113th-anniversary celebrations in Cape Town.
Fihla, 92, an anti-apartheid activist, represented the ANC in the National Assembly between 1994 and 2013.
In 2013, he was deployed to the metro to serve as mayor from March 2013 to May 2015.
Isithwalandwe/Seaparankoe is the highest honour awarded by the ANC to those who have made a sterling contribution and sacrificed in the fight against apartheid.
Ramaphosa said the national executive committee had decided to pay tribute to the three people for serving the movement with dignity.
“We salute them for their extraordinary contributions to the struggle of the people of SA for freedom and equality.
“On this day, we honour them and uphold them as they join the group of those who’ve been honoured with Isithwalandwe/Seaparankwe, those who have been recognised by our movement for having made outstanding contributions,” Ramaphosa said.
On Sunday, the ANC in the Eastern Cape congratulated Fihla.
Provincial spokesperson Gift Ngqondi said the ANC continued to draw wisdom from brave leaders such as Fihla.
“Chief Albert Luthuli, Dr Yusuf Dadoo and Father Trevor Huddleston were the first leaders to receive Isithwalandwe/Seaparankoe, at the Congress of the People in 1955,” he said.
“We wish him [Fihla] many more years to come.
“His presence among us is highly valued by the entire ANC membership and the people of SA, Africa and the world at large.”
HeraldLIVE
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