4 September 2007
The SACP regards it as extremely unfortunate the remarks made by the National Chairperson of the ANC about the ‘stupidity’ of those who continue to sing our liberation song ‘Umshini Wami’. These remarks were shown on SABC TV footage on Sunday 2 September 2007.
The SACP is not merely concerned about this distasteful remark simply because it is clearly directed at the ANC Deputy President, Cde Jacob Zuma, but it is an affront to the collective memory of millions of our people who participated in the struggle against apartheid.
Liberation songs continue to be sung and inspire our people in the many ongoing worker and mass struggles to deepen the national democratic revolution, press for faster delivery of services and are sung in many of our commemorative and celebratory occasions in honour of our struggle and its heroes and heroines.
These songs, like ‘Umshini Wami’, ‘Uthi asixole kanjani, amabhunu abulala uChris Hani’, ‘Hamba Kahle Mkhonto’, etc, are part of the collective memory of our struggle, part of the collective culture of that struggle, and they continue to play an important mobilisational role in the ongoing class and other struggles. It is also appropriate in this context to also remind ourselves of that simple, but powerful common Cuban saying that ‘a nation that forgets its past has no future’!
For a leader of a stature like a National Chairperson of our ANC, the SACP calls upon Cde Lekota to admit that he seriously erred in this instance, and should therefore, in all humility, simply withdraw these remarks and offer an apology.
The SACP is of view that we need maximum unity of the ANC itself and its allies and focus all our energies towards ensuring a successful ANC 52nd National Conference in Limpopo. We should not allow whatever individual irritations we might have to cause further stresses within our movement, thus diverting us from this all-important task in front of us.
Issued by the SACP.
For more information Contact:
Malesela Maleka
SACP Spokesperson – 082 226 1802