By Zenoyise John:
Former Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) commander Mfanelo Dan “Ronald Ronnie Dlamini” Matshaya has died in a tragic car accident that occurred on Thursday, 18 August 2025, between Cedarville and Kokstad.
Matshaya, a respected soldier of the liberation struggle, left South Africa in the early 1980s to join the African National Congress in exile. He received military training in Angola and Yugoslavia, becoming a firearms and military tactics instructor at Caculama Camp. Over the years, he served as Base Commander, reconnaissance leader, and later Deputy Commander of the Zola Dubeni Icing Unit, which operated inside South Africa against apartheid collaborators.
In 1987, he and his unit were captured in Bophuthatswana and tortured before being sentenced to prison. He was released in 1989 under an indemnity granted by then Transkei leader Major General Bantu Holomisa, after which he returned to duty as MK Deputy Commander in the Transkei Region. He continued to train cadres while also serving as a bodyguard to senior ANC leaders, including Chris Hani, Oliver Tambo, and Nelson Mandela.
After the democratic transition, Matshaya became the first MKMVA Regional Chairperson in the Transkei and remained deeply involved in veterans’ affairs and community leadership until his untimely death.
In a heartfelt tribute, fellow comrade Pumlani Ntsimbi Kubukeli hailed Matshaya as a “Commander of Commanders,” saying his selfless service to the struggle had etched his name permanently in South Africa’s history.
Community leader and convenor of the Xhalanga Civic Platform, Bulelani Bunyonyo, paid tribute to him, remembering him as a man of humility and courage.
“May his soul rest in peace. Hamba kahle Qhawe lamaQhawe. Hamba kahle Zuguru. What a humble individual,” Bunyonyo said.
Funeral arrangements will be announced in due course. – @NewsSA_Online
Please like, follow and engage with us on our social media platforms, links below: