By Lesedi Sibiya-Diplomatic Insider 

On 6 June 2026, the Cultural consulate of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran took to commemorate the 37th anniversary of the death of Imam Khomeini, who is the founder of the Islamic Republic and the leader of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, at the House of Iran in Houghton. 

The event was led by the Ambassador of Iran to South Africa, Mansour Shakib Mehr, who has consistently shown his gratitude to South Africa for their continued support of Iran in the midst of their war with the US and Israel.

 Many Iranians all over the world have taken the space to commemorate the revolutionary leader as he led the Islamic Revolution that brought down the Pahlavi monarchy in 1979 and established the Islamic Republic through a nationwide referendum in which the 98% of voters showed their support for the newly established political system of Iran.

 Khomeini had been in exile where he fled to countries such as Turkey, Iraq, and France and while he was in exile he boldly led a movement that brought a decade long monarchy to permanently cease.

 When he returned to Iran in 1979 he was welcomed home by millions of Iranians which was viewed as a major turning point in the country’s history. The foundations that he built for the political system of Iran was rooted in national independence, popular participation, and resistance to popular and resistance to foreign domination, which are principles that continue to be the foundation of the Islamic Republic’s policies and identity. 

Imam Khomeini had passed on the June 3, 1989 at the age of 86 which had been almost a decade since the Islamic Revolution which saw his funeral draw millions of Iranians and has remained one of the largest public gatherings in modern history. 

The programme commemorating the late Imam, had been rooted in the view of leadership as many of the revolutionary leaders of South Africa had been martyrs for the freedom of their own people this programme was seen as a cultural exchange.

 Even in today’s climate with the current conflict between Iran and the US and Israel there is still a fight for a revolution to prevail against imperialism.

 One of the speakers at the programme included the youngest member of the Global Sumud Flotilla voyage, Nurain Saloojee, who is currently 22 years of age.  

She encouraged that young people should be pushed to take more initiative in terms of revolutionising and that it is truly the young generation who will have the capacity to change the course of history and destroy imperialism. 

“We need to be pushing the young people forward, we need to be providing them with platforms because young people can change things, young begin these revolutions and young people are not just leaders of tomorrow but the leaders of today” said Saloojee.