EFF STATEMENT ON THE TRAGIC PASSING OF BASKETBALL LEGEND KOBE
BRYANT
Monday, 27 January 2020
The EFF joins the international community in mourning the tragic
death of the Basketball legend, Kobe Bean Bryant who died in a
helicopter crash on Sunday. Sadly, four people died in this
accident and one of which is Kobe’s daughter, Gianna. We express
our heartfelt condolences to the family, friends and the entire
basketball fraternity.
Kobe Bryant was of the most celebrated, talented and
well-achieved basketball player of all time. His name ranks fourth
on the NBA league’s all-time regular season scoring and fourth on
the all-time postseason scoring list. He was an 18-time All-Star,
15-time member of the All-NBA Team, a 12-time member of the
All-Defensive team and was the NBA's Most Valuable Player (MVP) in
2008.
His tragic passing at only the age of 41 comes with great pain
to all of us. After giving the world the excellence of his
sportsmanship, the pure brilliance of his skill and the
magnificence of his record, he deserved a long life.
Basketball is one of the sports code in the white-dominated USA
where black people have been unparalleled. Against all the racism,
collective humiliation and constant dehumanisation of black people,
Bryant and his generation of sportsmen stood for black excellence.
He is a flag that blacks across the world will continue to raise at
the face of all white supremacy that doubts our ability and
humanity. He is the legend that will continue to paint many walls
of black lives to inspire excellence, greatness and pride.
Indeed, we are all equal before death. It does not matter our
journey, achievements, and accolades. Death cheats us all. It is
therefore in the courtyard of death, in all its manifold
manifestations that we remember our common humanity and absolute
fragility. This simple, but real fact of life is the common bride
to all families. In the true African idiom, we say “lefu ke ngwetsi
ya malapa ohle”. We also say “akwehlanga olungehliyo”.
We reiterate our deep and heartfelt condolences to the Bryant
family, as well as all those who were with him in the helicopter
accident that took his life and that of his daughter.
May his soul rest in perfect and eternal peace.
