SA flag at half-mast for Arafat
Matome Sebelebele
12 November 2004
The South African flag flew at half-mast in honour of the late Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, who was buried near his Ramallah compound on Friday.
Presidential spokesperson Bheki Khumalo said President Thabo Mbeki had given instructions to fly the national flag at half-mast throughout the country until the evening of the funeral.
Khumalo said this was a sign of respect to the late 75-year-old political figure, widely seen as an embodiment of the Palestinian liberation struggle.
"Regulations require that no other flags should be displayed when the national flag is flown at half-mast", Khumalo said.
Pretoria has longstanding ties with the Palestinians and Arafat dating back to the liberation struggle era against apartheid, and the relationship has since grown progressively over the past decade.
South Africa has also always supported the creation of an independent Palestinian state existing "side by side" with their
Israeli neighbours.
Scores of foreign leaders, including Mbeki, were at the Egyptian capital, Cairo to attend Arafat's funeral.
The late Nobel Peace laureate's coffin, draped in the Palestinian flag, left Cairo for Ramallah after the funeral service.
Born Mohammed Yasser Abdul-Ra'ouf Qudwa Al-Husseini, but later known by his nickname, Yasser Arafat dedicated his life to the liberation of the Palestinian people, becoming an international symbol for Palestinian nationalism.
He survived several assassination attempts during his 40 years as leader of the Palestine Liberation Organisation.
"History will record that President Arafat epitomised that rare breed of leaders whose lives were defined by the unflinching sacrifices they made in the noble and just cause of the struggle of their peoples", Mbeki said in paying tribute to Arafat.
"It will record that despite the hardship, suffering and pain imposed by trying circumstances that defined their lives,
they [Palestinians] continued to draw inspiration from the knowledge that the struggle for freedom offers the only hope out of the darkest times."
Former President Nelson Mandela also praised the late leader as one of the outstanding freedom fighters of his generation.
Source: BuaNews
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