Mhlele Mxenge with a portrait of his brother Griffiths Mxenge and sister in-law Victoria Mxenge. File image
Durban — The 1860 Heritage Centre will today (Saturday) pay tribute to struggle heroes Victoria and Mlungisi Griffiths Mxenge.
It will also host a presentation and panel discussion on the National Health Insurance.
Recently the Department of Health renamed King Edward VIII Hospital after nurse and lawyer Victoria Mxenge.
She and her husband were recipients of the Order of Luthuli in Silver for contributions to the law and their activism.
Professor Jairam Reddy said it was important to preserve our history and imperative to keep the Mxenge legacy going. Reddy said the Mxenges played a significant role.
He said they would talk about the 90-year history of the hospital and what it did for the poor in the 80s.
“As we know, the National Health Insurance has been introduced by our government and we will talk about its disadvantages and advantages,” he said.
When the hospital was renamed in May, Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane said that this was a challenge to staff to represent Mrs Mxenge’s legacy.
“If staff from this hospital mistreat patients and engage in medical negligence, that will not help us; it will only serve to drag her good name through the mud. And that is something we cannot accept,” she said.
She said although the renaming of government institutions would not undo the severe damage caused by apartheid and colonialism, it helped to give communities a sense of identity, belonging, and pride.
Mrs Mxenge completed her nursing studies at the hospital. She studied law via Unisa.
Mr Mxenge was a prominent civil rights lawyer in Durban. He was assassinated in 1981 and she was gunned down in uMlazi in 1986.
The event starts at 1pm today (Saturday).
Independent on Saturday