Umamah Bakharia

Poet and anti-apartheid activist Don Mattera passed away at the age of 87 on Monday.

The Don Mattera Foundation says the poet died peacefully at his home in Protea Glen. The statement by the foundation added that he had been recovering after a medical check-up at the Military One Hospital in Pretoria a few weeks ago.

A family spokesperson confirmed that Mattera was buried according to Muslim rites at the Westpark cemetery.

He was recently honoured with the 2022 Artfluence Human Rights Award for his commitment to human rights and community development.

The City of Johannesburg’s council speaker, Vasco da Gama, paid tribute to Mattera, describing him as a respected figure and “a man of great reputation in South Africa”.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has also sent his condolences to the loved ones of Mattera. In a statement, Ramaphosa says, “As a nation, we are saddened by the loss of Don Mattera’s eloquent, rousing and revolutionary voice for justice. May his soul rest in peace as, in his own prose, he sleeps the sleep of freedom.”

While in an interview with the City of Johannesburg, Mattera was asked how he would like to be remembered.

He replied: “I would like to be remembered as a man who loved his country and his people.”