Zola Skweyiya

"If Zola was here today, it was not going to be about him"

"With utmost humility, he was going to base his acceptance speech rather on the role that UWC played in nurturing the constitution of our country. He was going to impress upon us all that UWC is the cradle that carried South Africa into its current democracy"

"Zola was a selfless disciplinarian who was very loving and very caring"

"He was a gentle giant to us and many. He was a man of few words. He felt his love of the poor in this country very keenly, yet didn’t spend much time talking about it. Instead he chose to act upon it"

"As Zola’s family we hope that this honour will not just end here today, but will rather go a long way in reminding the people of our country - especially our future generations of leaders - that our constitutional democracy was not just received on a silver platter"

"It was achieved through a protracted struggle waged on many fronts, and on the moral high ground of selflessness, dedication and hard work"

"To the Skweyiya family, Zola was a brother, an uncle, a beloved husband and a father, and a grandfather. To many others, he was a friend, a colleague and a comrade in arms. We all miss him dearly, but we thank God for his life and good deeds in this world"

"And in this dynamic process, Zola stood tall"

"He had to steer the ship - and he did it in his own way. Quiet by nature, he had to steer a vociferous Kader Asmal, an eloquent Albie Sachs, to the real politic of negotiations. When he spoke, all listened, because he had an inherent authority; because when he spoke it was thoughtful, visionary, yet practical"