** Issue 20, Vol 9: 27 September 2012
*In this issue:* - A tribute to: A fellow fighter, National Democratic Revolutionary, above all, a Communist Maria Kebarutile ["uFasimba"] Mochaka<#13a07baf99f74395_one> A tribute to: A fellow fighter, National Democratic Revolutionary, above all, a Communist Maria Kebarutile ["uFasimba"] Mochaka *By YCLSA Gauteng PEC Special Plenary Session* *Adopted Monday, 24 September 2012* *Augmented By* *Gauteng Representatives SACP Greater Tshwane DEC Representatives YCLSA Greater Tshwane DEC* The YCLSA, Young Communist League of South Africa in the province of Gauteng morns the untimely death of a fellow fighter, national democratic revolutionary, above, a communist, *Maria Kebarutile ["uFasimba"] Mochaka*. We have lost a committed, dedicated, loyal and hard working cadre, of an irreplaceable calibre. *Maria* was born 6 February 1985. She believed in the national democratic revolution and socialism as a transitional advance towards the goal of communism. She believed it was only when these goals are achieved that humankind will for the first time experience the possibility of an elimination of all forms of oppression, domination and class exploitation. She believed that the barbaric system of capitalism formed the material substratum of most of the problems facing human society, among others colonialism of all types, imperialism, war, poverty, inequality, unemployment, tenderpreneuring, corruption and so on. She became active in the struggle against the system. Maria joined the YCLSA in 2004 just a year after the organisation was re-established. The same year she also joined the South African Communist Party. She was elected as YCLSA Edwin Mofutsanyane Deputy Branch Secretary in 2005. In 2006 she was elected to the YCLSA District Executive Committee in Dr George Mukhari District, Metsweding District Municipality. In 2008 she was re-elected to the YCLSA Dr George Mukhari District, this time as the Deputy District Chairperson. The same year she was elected the Provincial Treasurer to serve in the 2nd YCLSA Gauteng Provincial Executive Committee. She was re-elected in 2011, to serve in the YCLSA Gauteng 3rd PEC, as Head of Secretariat and Organising, also continuing to serve as a member of the Provincial Working Committee since 2008. Maria served in various committees and commissions in the YCLSA, and mostly represented the YCLSA in many programmes, one of them being the Quality Learning and Teaching as she advanced the Joe Slovo Right to Learn Campaign. Maria was a member of the ANC, its Youth League in which she was previously elected in its Regional Executive Committee. We lost a worker activist. Maria was a member of the South African Municipal Workers Union. As a commissar, starting in 2009 she was also a member of the joint Chris Hani National Brigade of the National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union and SACP. An activist to the core, and also committed in fighting crime and corruption, Maria received training and served as a Reservist Constable based in Hammanskraal South African Police Service in 2005, and later left the service to work in her local municipality starting in 2006. We suffered a great loss, the loss of a disciplined cadre. She lived as far as near the boundary of Limpopo and Gauteng in North Gauteng, but she was mostly the first to arrive at meetings in Johannesburg and never leave unfinished meetings or tasks. Maria mostly looked out of her shell, smiling, at times as a sign of acknowledging a challenge that must be tackled head-on. When she said "mshana", we knew that a major task was oncoming. She was fearless, humble, militant but respectful and well guided, strategic and tactical. Maria took minutes of key events and conversations of every single day in her life, the national democratic revolution and the struggle for socialism. She was hard working, traversing Gauteng Province in political, organisational and ideological work. A careful combatant, Maria was investigative. She had the capacity to uncover a wide range of agendas, including those that are hidden to an ordinary eye. This made her to uncover plots of threats by lumpens masquerading as comrades, and showed that not every one called or calling oneself a comrade is indeed a genuine one. Not so long she had been approached by lumpens masquerading as comrades, declaring that they would not hesitate to deploy their money to deal with YCLSA Gauteng Provincial Secretary. Once lumpens had become aware that their agenda was being exposed, Maria was terrorised and persecuted, more increasingly from July 2012. She was recently kidnapped on two occasions. The things that happened to her during the second, gun point kidnapping are inconceivable, and the less we think about them the better. The lumpens, a section of who followed her constantly, confronted her and threatened the worst will happen if she did not "deliver" the YCLSA Gauteng Provincial Secretary within three days. But she increasingly became more loyal to the organisation, refusing to disclose the movements of PEC members that she was responsible to coordinate as the Head of Secretariat and Organising. She continued to defend the lives of PEC members as we stepped up security around her. To be loyal to her, we feel indebted to disclose at least two reasons why she was persecuted. The YCLSA in Gauteng had succeeded to build a strong SACP, ridding it of factions. Secondly, she wanted President Jacob Zuma to be re-elected in Mangaung and the engine of the organisation not to be tempered with. The self-serving lumpens did not like these success and commitment. They declared to Maria (the records were handed over to the relevant authorities) that the YCLSA under the leadership of its Present Provincial Secretary in Gauteng has produced enemies and was serving as a stumbling block to an agenda of doing away with President Jacob Zuma in Mangaung. Lumpens declared to Maria that because of this, and in favour of their candidate (who we shall not mention) that the YCLSA Provincial Secretary could be eliminated. But Maria did not back down. Instead she fought to be allowed to perform organisational and political work even when the PEC proposed that she must be on leave until her therapy is completed following the kidnappings. After the Secretariat put its foot down, she reported the situation to her mom. At the request of her mom, the YCLSA agreed that Maria must be allowed to perform her political and organisational work because when she was at home she became more stressed. When she met her death, she was in her first public assignment, to attend the funeral of former YCLSA Deputy National Secretary Mike Mokhutshane, on 22 September 2012 in a motor vehicle accident. We send our heartfelt condolences to the family for the loss of their beloved, indeed our loss too. The red flag has been lowered in honour of a fellow fighter, who passed away with her boots on, a gallant revolutionary to the end! The spear has fallen. We shall pick up where she left and in her honour we shall soldier on. We believe the goals, objectives, principles and values for which she stood shall be achieved. Comrade Maria we will always miss you mshana. Issued by the YCLSA Gauteng, Alex Mashilo - Provincial Secretary 082 9200 308 Matankana Mothapo - Provincial Spokesperson 082 759 0900 -- You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to this message. 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