It is a journey that bridges the struggles of two continents, a trip steeped in historical debt and personal reverence. On Thursday night, President Cyril Ramaphosa departed from South Africa, not for a state visit or an economic summit, but for a profoundly heartfelt mission: to deliver a final tribute on behalf of a grateful nation at the “homegoing celebration of life” for the late Reverend Jesse Jackson in Chicago .
The passing of Rev. Jackson at the age of 84 last month sent ripples of sorrow across the globe, but in South Africa, the emotion was particularly acute. Here, he was not just an American civil rights icon; he was a comrade-in-arms, a stalwart whose moral clarity and fearless activism provided a vital lifeline during the darkest years of apartheid .
A Bond Forged in the Fires of Struggle
Rev. Jackson’s relationship with South Africa was not one of distant sympathy but of active, personal solidarity. His connection to the struggle predated the release of Nelson Mandela and cut through the diplomatic isolation imposed by the apartheid regime. As President Ramaphosa reflected in his official tribute following Jackson’s death, the reverend’s “irrepressible campaigns against apartheid and his support for the liberation struggle was a towering contribution to the global anti-apartheid cause” .
This was a commitment born of a deep understanding of oppression. As Jackson himself once wrote, drawing parallels between the US Civil Rights Movement and the South African struggle: “They were being jailed, we were being jailed. We were being killed, and they were being massacred” . He turned that understanding into action, lobbying world leaders like Pope John Paul II and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to rebuke Pretoria, and challenging institutions like Harvard University to divest from the apartheid economy .
His visits to the country were landmarks of defiance. In 1979, just two years after the murder of Steve Biko, Jackson walked the streets of Soweto, drawing massive crowds and directly defying the “architects of apartheid” . He was present for another historic moment in 1990, standing witness as Nelson Mandela walked out of Victor Verster Prison, a powerful symbol of the transatlantic alliance for freedom . In recognition of this lifelong dedication, the South African government awarded him the National Order of the Companions of O.R. Tambo in Silver in 2013 .
A Request from the Family, A Duty for a President
It is this profound history that makes President Ramaphosa’s presence in Chicago so significant. He is not attending merely as a foreign dignitary; he is attending at the specific request of the Jackson family to speak at the Saturday service, representing the gratitude of the millions of South Africans whose lives were touched by Jackson’s legacy .
The “homegoing”—a term deeply rooted in the African American and Black Baptist tradition that celebrates the deceased’s transition from earth to eternity—will be a two-day affair in Chicago. Friday will see a more public “People’s Celebration” at the 10,000-seat House of Hope arena, an event expected to draw the upper echelons of American political royalty, including former first families the Bidens, Obamas, and Clintons . On Saturday, President Ramaphosa will take his place among the speakers to offer South Africa’s formal farewell.
A Personal Memory and a Lasting Legacy
For President Ramaphosa, the trip is also personal. He will be speaking about a man he knew and walked with—quite literally. In April 2018, the two men participated in the 33rd Gandhi Walk, a moment the President has said he will “treasure.” During that walk, Jackson shared his “deep commitment to his continuing vision for a better world as well as his special relationship with South Africa” .
As Air Force One makes its way to the Windy City, it carries more than just a delegation; it carries the enduring gratitude of a nation. Ramaphosa’s eulogy is expected to echo the sentiments he expressed when news of the death broke, celebrating a man who “devoted himself to the cause of justice as a human endeavour without borders” .
In Chicago, President Ramaphosa will not just be honouring the memory of Jesse Jackson. He will be bearing witness to the enduring power of solidarity, ensuring that the voice of a man who once declared that “justice would ultimately triumph over injustice” is celebrated one last time by the people whose freedom he helped secure .
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