6 January 2021
The General Secretary of the South African Communist Party Comrade Blade Nzimande;
The Chairman of the South African Communist Party Comrade Senzeni Zokwana;
The leadership of the Politburo and the Central Committee of the South African Communist party present;
The General Secretary of the Young Communist League Comrade Tinyiko Ntini and members of the Central Committee present;
The General Secretary of the Congress of the South African Trade Unions Comrade Bheki Ntshalintshali and members of the central committee present;
The leadership of the National Executive Committee of the African National Congress present;
The leadership of the National Executive committee of the ANC Veterans League present;
The leadership National Executive committee of the ANC Women's League present;
The leadership of the National Executive Committee of the ANC Youth League present;
The leadership of the progressive Youth Movement present;
The leadership of the religious community present;
The leadership of the Institution of Traditional Leaders present;
The leadership of other progressive organs of our civil society;
Our media fraternity;
Comrades and Compatriots;
On behalf of the leadership of the National Executive committee of the African National Congress, receive our fraternal and revolutionary greetings on the occasion of this important historic day, of the 26 th anniversary of the life and times of one of the colossal of our national liberation movement - the late General Secretary of the South African Communist Party, Comrade Joe Slovo.
Indeed we thank the leadership of the South African Communist Party, for this appropriate and profound yearly programme, of appreciating the contribution of this legendary revolutionary leader to our struggle for the liberation of our people. Being a proletariat internationalist, his contribution was immensely about the liberation of the whole humanity.
Comrade Joe Slovo represents the gallantry of the most revered revolutionaries of the world progressive movement. He was a genius of the revolutionary science to bring change not only to the people of our country, but to the whole of the people of the world.
The occasion of the 26 th anniversary celebrations of the revolutionary life of this giant of the struggle of our people, is taking place amidst events of far reaching political significance in our country, the African continent and the whole world. Events which have evolved to bring the fundamental changes to the present conjecture of the world political and socio economic realities.
This historic event is taking place a few days before the 109 th anniversary of the birth of our glorious national liberation movement, the African National Congress. The African National Congress is the oldest liberation movement on the African continent and probably through the whole world.
This jubilant year, is the year of the centenary anniversary celebrations of the birth of our vanguard party, the South African Communist Party. Our party is also the oldest marxist leninist party on the African continent, and in fact amongst the few surviving communist parties in the world.
We celebrate this giant leap forward of hundreds years of unbroken record of heroic struggle led by our party, the revolutionary leader of the struggle of the working class, the most advanced detachment led by the most advanced elements of our society and the party of our struggle for our socialist future. It is the vanguard which over the years played its central role, a fountain of knowledge, guiding our struggle with the scientific revolutionary theory, in order to understand the balance of forces as we conduct our struggle for the liberation of our people. The relationship between the African National Congress and the South African Communist party is found in the terrain of our struggle. Its symbolic posture is that of a horse and a wagon. One of the most significant historical results of the historic alliance between the ANC and the SACP was the intensification of the struggle against the apartheid regime, when our glorious people's army, Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), was formed on the 16 th of December 1961. We all know the very significant leadership role played by communists in the formation of the military wing of our movement, and with the like of Cde Joe Slovo, occupying the most strategic leadership role as its chief of staff.
We all know that during the most difficult times of our struggle against apartheid, and even today, communists are occupying the forefront trenches of our struggle, taking the lead and responding to the most difficult tasks of our national democratic revolution. We salute them during this year of the 60th anniversary of the formation of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the year of working for the unity of all combatants and the unity of the ANC.
The late President of the ANC, Cde Oliver Reginald Tambo, during the occasion of the 60 th anniversary of the birth of the South African Communist Party, which was held in Maputo, had to say the following profound words about the importance of this historic relationship: "The relationship between the ANC and the SACP is not an accident of history, nor is it a natural, or inevitable development. For as we can see, similar relationships have not emerged in the course of liberation struggle in other parts of Africa. To be true to history, we must concede that there have been difficulties as well as triumphs along the path, as, traversing many decades, our two organisations have converged towards a shared strategy of struggle. Ours is not merely a paper alliance, created at conference tables and formulated through the signing of documents and representing only an agreement by leaders. Our Alliance is the living organism that has grown out of struggles. We have built it out of our separate and common experiences.
It has been fertilised by the blood of countless heroes, many of them unnamed and unsung. It has been reinforced by a common determination to destroy the enemy and by our shared belief in the certainty of victory”.
This historic year, also marks the 75 th anniversary of the 1946 mineworkers strike. It was during this year that the mineworkers in the Witwatersrand area went on strike demanding better wages and improved working conditions.
This all historic strike, led to the formation of the African Mineworkers Union. Its formation was a tremendous stepping stone towards the mobilisation of the working class throughout our country.
The year also marks the centenary anniversary celebrations of the birth of our fraternal party, the Communist Party of China. We convey our profound gratitude to the leadership of the Communist of China, and its peace loving people, on the occasion of this great historic year, of the rejuvenation of their own struggle, for building of socialism, with Chinese characteristics.
Over the years, our nation struggle has always been an integral part of the world wide struggle for working class solidarity and internationalism. The reason why we continue to be embedded in this magnanimous struggles with other nations of the world, for peace and stability, and respect of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of nation states.
The year also signifies the 62 nd anniversary of the triumph of the Cuban revolution. The Cuban people continue to be an inspiration to our struggle for national liberation. We call on the US administration, to end the decades long economic sanctions against the heroic people of this country.
We also extend our solidarity with the people of Venezuela, the people of the Saharawi Republic, the people of Palestine, the people of Zimbabwe and all peace loving people of the world. We extend our solidarity with the people of the world during these difficult times of the rampant pandemic of the CORONA Virus.
This year also marks the 31 st anniversary of the collapse of the first Communist state in human history, the Union of the socialist Soviet Republics. The event that shaped the socio-economic and political landscape of the world in favour of the forces of capitalism. This was when Comrade Joe Slovo posed one of the most fundamental questions, which is still relevant today, the question as to whether socialism has failed or not? That profound theoretical question defined the historic moment and the future, and the relevance, of the Communist movement in the struggle of the peoples of the world. We continue to learn from the great lessons and teachings of this great revolutionary of our time. A volunteer during the Second World War, a volunteer of the Congress of the People of 1955, a Chief of staff of the glorious army of our national liberation movement, Mkhonto we Sizwe, a member of the revolutionary council, a member of the National Executive committee of the ANC, a Communist, a leader of the working class and a minister in the first administration of our democratic government.
Comrade Joe Slovo indeed was a humble servant of the people, a great volunteer of the struggle of our people, and a standard bearer of the true values and traditions of our movement. He epitomised selflessness and the highest forms of human discipline. The important question we have to ask, is what have we learned from the industrious life of this courageous son of the soil! What are the lessons and experiences we can gather from the teachings of this great theoretician of our revolution?
His theoretical formulation of the sun set clause was not cast in stone. It was profoundly out of his ability to guide our movement to navigate the complex challenges of our transition period. He never meant the sunset clauses to remain a permanent feature in the superstructure of our society.
As we celebrate his life today, we need to take stock of how far we have achieve in taking forward the possibilities presented by the tactical manuevres that he proposed in order to advance the objectives of our national democratic revolution. To give a detailed account of the successes and the failures of our revolution.
We need to take stock of how far have we went in achieving the strategic objectives of our revolution, which is the liberation of the black people in general, and the African people in particular. How far have we achieved the fundamental question of the transformation of the economy of our country?
This is how we must celebrate the life of this great hero of our people. With practical and hard-hitting questions about how we remain true to our struggle for the total liberation of the people of our country. We need to take the example of his revolutionary life as a lodestar for the unity of our people and our revolution.
His life was about the unity of our revolution and our people. It was about the unity of the victory of our struggle for our democratic feature.
Comrade Joe Slovo lives! Comrade Joe Slovo will never die! His ideas remain to be the guiding light of our struggle for national liberation. We shall forever treasurer his contribution to the struggle of our people against Imperialism and Apartheid colonialism.
Again, on behalf of the National Executive of the ANC, we take the opportunity to thank the South African Communist Party, for keeping alive the monumental contribution of this outstanding revolutionary of our movement. The unity of our Alliance is the unity of our people and the continuation of our revolution.
A LUTA CONTINUA!
We thank you.
ISSUED BY THE SOUTH AFRICAN COMMUNIST PARTY | SACP
EST. 1921 AS THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF SOUTH AFRICA | CPSA
Dr Alex Mohubetswane Mashilo
SACP Central Committee Member:
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