Family and friends paid their last respects to a father, son, brother and comrade John Edward Maree on Saturday 25 March.
The veteran of MK (Umkhonto we Sizwe), armed wing of the then banned African National Congress, and former head of the Scorpions’ VIP Protection Section, had passed away a week earlier.
Maree was involved in student and youth politics, joining MK at a young age. Before the 1994 elections, he was chosen to be part of a unit to protect comrades (ie former activists) and installations from an onslaught from the extreme right-wing Afrikaner Weerstands Beweging (AWB) in the West Coast region, literally holed up in trenches – as if ready for war – for days on end.
With the integration of MK and ANC intelligence services into state security services, Maree accepted his deployment, which saw him play a significant role in the protection of the first and second Presidents of the post-1994 era, Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki.
The latter later released Maree to the Directorate of Special Investigations or Scorpions to head up the VIP Protection Section.
A tribute by fellow MK veteran Wally Rhoode relates how Maree was prepared to pay the ultimate price for liberation.
Something else that stands out is his political intervention and guidance on Travelgate (politicians and others implicated in abuse of travel perks), arguing political implications and the course of action the National Prosecuting Authority should take.
His professionalism was also evident in being tasked with protecting the prosecuting team in the State vs Jacob Zuma case, never showing any political bias.
The Willowmore-born activist showed himself a true son of Atlantis, involved as he was in local structures, serving the community in particular with distinction, and where his heart continued to beat X till the end.
