On 29 April 1972, Onkgopotse Abram Tiro made one of the most consequential revolutionary addresses in South African history. Dubbed the Turfloop Testimony, Tiro’s anti-apartheid speech saw him and many of his fellow student activists expelled, igniting a series of strikes in tertiary institutions across the country. By the time he went into exile in Botswana, Tiro was president of the Southern African Student Movement (SASM), permanent organiser of the South African Student Organisation (SASO) and a leading Black Consciousness proponent, hailed by many as the ‘godfather’ of the June 1976 uprisings. Two years later on 1 February 1974, he became the first South African freedom fighter to be assassinated by a parcel bomb. Although he had gone into exile in Botswana, this was not far enough to escape the apartheid security forces. 01 February 2021 marked 47 years since his passing, and Thabiso Kotane speaks to his nephew Gaongalelwe Tiro who authored the book, “Parcel of Death” and thus reflect on his life and look at the contribution he made to the formation of the new South Africa.