Donato “Don” Francisco Mattera was a writer, poet, and activist, and his passing has been acknowledged by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
On Monday, Mattera passed away at the age of 87.
The Don Mattera Foundation’s leadership, as well as Mattera’s family, friends, neighbours, and comrades, received the President’s heartfelt condolences.
The loss of Don Mattera’s eloquent, rousing, and revolutionary voice for justice has left us as a nation saddened.
We remember Bra Don as a patriot who, in the spirit of this commemorative day, did what he could, with what he had, where he was, as we observe International Nelson Mandela Day.
The President remarked on Monday, “May his soul rest in peace as, in his own prose, he sleeps the sleep of freedom.”
Mattera was a journalist and political activist who was well-known and respected throughout the country, the continent, and the world.
He also won numerous awards.
Awarded in 2006 for his “excellent contribution to literature, achievement in the field of journalism, and striving for democracy and justice in South Africa,” he was an Esteemed Member of the Order of the Baobab (in Gold).