I will never forget the jubilation that took place in the car we were traveling in from Rustenburg back to Johannesburg when an announcement came on air that South West Africa, now known as Namibia, had gained independence from SA.

Colonised by Germany in the 1880s and SA after 1915 following a defeat by SA forces, Namibia was on that day free from all forms of colonialism; a historical achievement which called for celebration. My husband and his friend were hilarious; knowing that SA was without a doubt the next and final country in Africa to be relieved of the clutches of colonialism.

It is sad that he departed from this planet in May 2006 without witnessing the great metamorphosis that would take place in this country, including where we are today. He could have been exiled except that I could not imagine how he hoped to survive the conditions in exile as his vision was completely impaired without glasses.

He was a staunch supporter of Pan-Africanism, as a result we experienced a lot of harassment and persecution from the security branch, which makes you develop a thick skin to all kinds of injustice. Who said life was fair?

Cometh Dube-Makholwa, Midrand.