On Freedom Day, 27 April 2026, the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation convened a Capacity Building Summit bringing together women and youth traditional leaders committed to conflict prevention, mediation, and peacebuilding.

It was in this context, and in honour of Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge, that His Royal Highness, Zolani Mkiva, widely recognised as South Africa’s Imbongi Yesizwe (Poet of the Nation) and Secretary General of CONTRALESA, delivered the following poem.

As South Africa marks the close of Freedom Month, this tribute calls forward a continued commitment to building peaceful, inclusive societies.

 

In salutation of Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge

 

A lady leader,

A woman of stature—

Her presence, a pillar

Carved in the grain of history.

 

Rectitude her compass,

Unbending in storms of doubt,

Resilient as the baobab

Rooted deep in ancestral ground.

 

Relentless, she walks

Where courage fears to linger,

Robust-full in spirit,

Carrying the weight of many

With a steady hand.

 

Fearless—

Not in the absence of fear,

But in its quiet mastery.

 

We know her in yesterdays of the struggle,

When the air was thick with resistance,

When freedom was not a promise

But a perilous pursuit.

 

In the revolution of Congress traditions,

She stood—

Not behind,

Not apart,

But in the living heartbeat of comradeship.

 

On the frontline with others,

Names woven into the same tapestry,

She gave of herself—

Time, comfort, certainty—

All surrendered to a greater call.

 

To confront a crime against humanity,

To name injustice without trembling,

To rise when silence was safer.

 

A fighter for freedom,

Whose voice carried the longing of many.

For justice—

Measured not in words, but in deeds.

 

For peace—

Not passive, but forged in truth.

 

For reconciliation—

The hardest bridge to build,

Yet the one she dared to cross.

 

So, we salute her—

Not as memory alone,

But as motion—

A living current

Still shaping the river of tomorrow.