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- Human rights lawyer George Bizos died of natural causes at his home at the age of 92 on Wednesday afternoon.
- Chris Hani’s widow Limpho described him as “the most decent human being” she had ever met.
- She said that Bizos treated her husband like a son and made sure his killers remained behind bars.
Limpho Hani, the widow of South African Communist Party (SACP) leader Chris Hani, paid tribute to the late human rights lawyer George Bizos, describing him as “the most decent human being” she has ever met.
Bizos died at the age of 92 at his home on Wednesday.
He represented several supporters of the struggle during the Rivonia trial, including Nelson Mandela, Govan Mbeki and Walter Sisulu.
OBITUARY | Human rights defender George Bizos dies at 92
Bizos also represented the families of Hani and the leader of the Black Consciousness Movement, Steven Biko, during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings in the mid-1990s.
George Bizos was a prominent human rights lawyer who campaigned against apartheid in South Africa, especially during the Rivonia trial.
Speaking to News24 following news of Bizos’s death Wednesday night, Limpho said he had no words to describe it.
“He was the most decent human being I have ever met in my entire life, because of what he did for me. I met him through my husband. He decided that my youngest daughter should go to a Greek school.
“Then Chris gets shot, then Uncle George represents me and the bastards apply for parole [and] Uncle George Bizos was with me twice a year. He never stopped going to a court hearing to object to parole, “Hani said.
TRIBUTE | George Bizos: a guiding light in the darkest times
She said the way Bizos had devoted her time to her husband’s case, even as he grew older, made it clear that she had taken it personally.
Hani added that her husband was like a son to Bizos.
He praised the lawyer for always being by his family’s side, and attending court twice a year for 20 years, to ensure that Chris Hani’s murderers remained behind bars.
‘Too good to have lived in this world’
“All I say to your government is that they want to honor George Bizos? George Bizos retired after more than 20 years of opposing the parole of my husband’s killers and so they should put their money where their mouth is and not just Talk. Let’s see the action, “he said.
Hani said that Bizos’ death was saddened by the contribution he had made to the fight.
He added that Bizos was not an opportunist and had taken it upon himself to defend the Rivonia Trialists even when it was not safe for him to do so. She described him as “brave, honest and brave”.
“I’m so excited tonight,” she said just hours after his death.
“He defended Marikana’s widows … What is that kind of person called? It is too good to have lived in this world.
“Bizos stood up for the truth, regardless of who said what. If we can do that too, we will be a better country,” he said.
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