Issue 4, Vol 11: 4 April 2014 In this issue: ·The Fight for Democracy & Freedom
The Fight for Democracy & Freedom OJ Fourie Cde Chris Hani was cowardly assassinated outside his home in Dawn Park, Boksburg, on the 10th of April 1993. The life of Cde Chris was a life given to the struggle for liberation not as an accident of history or coincidence but because of the material conditions of his own and his people`s existence. He was born in Cofimvaba, in the Eastern Cape, on the 28th of June 1942. He grew up as a child under conditions of extreme poverty and underdevelopment on which the apartheid system was based. Cde Chris had to walk 20 kilometres to school every school day and the same distance to church every Sunday. Despite all these difficult circumstances under which he grew up, his love for education prevailed on him and he continued going to school. It was during his school days that the apartheid regime introduced the policy of Bantu education. This policy was aimed at giving black children the type of education which was inferior to that given to their white counterparts. The sole objective of this exercise was to foster a belief among black people that they were born to work for white people and therefore do not need to learn complex subjects such as mathematics and science. It was at this stage of his life that he joined the ANC Youth League in 1957, at the age of 15. In 1959 he went to Fort Hare University to further his studies determined to become better than what the apartheid regime wanted him to be – a black man good for nothing beyond furthering the economic ends of white people. It was at Fort Hare where he openly engaged in the struggle for the first time because of the liberal nature of that university which emphasized academic freedom and institutional autonomy. It was also here that he came in contact for the first time with Marxist theory as a scientific tool to analyse the development of society and thus engage in the struggle more meaningfully. Cde Chris learned Marxism diligently. He began to fully appreciate the extent of the brutality of racial oppression and capitalist exploitation as well as the patriarchal relations of power which make these two demons worse for black women. He joined the underground SACP in 1961 influenced and inspired by such giants of our revolution as Govan Mbeki, JB Marks, Braam Fischer, Moses Kotane, Ray Simons and others. Because he knew that freedom would not come as a gift, he joined uMkhonto we Sizwe in 1962 to fight for it. He rose to become an ANC NEC member also serving in the Politico Military Committee. He rose through MK ranks to become the Chief of Staff. His commitment to the SACP saw him elected as its General Secretary in 1991. Cde Chris embodied the alliance: a committed revolutionary, a disciplined soldier and a selfless communist. He believed in full emancipation, both politically and economically. As he stated that: “We in the SACP do not hide our belief that political freedom without social reconstruction will be meaningless. There needs to be a new growth path which creates wealth more efficiently than the present economic policies, but also ensures that such wealth is used to better the lives not only of a few, but for all.” Cde Chris was committed to the unity of the South African people, regardless of political affiliation. We thus learn from him the need to put South Africa first. He stated at the opening of CODESA: “For the peace process to succeed demands from all who are committed to democracy, the greatest possible unity. I want to say to organizations which have not traditionally formed part of the ANC-SACP-COSATU alliance or even the mass democratic movement that this is not the time to emphasize our differences. It is our job to build on the highest level of unity we can develop to take ourselves forward not to narrow sectarian goals but the broad democratic system that is in all of our interests.” Cde Chris never tasted the fruits of democracy and freedom of which he fought for his whole life. Twenty-one years ago the counter-revolutionary forces were thinking that they will stop the dawn of democracy when they assassinated him, but they failed. Today counter-revolutionary forces are again at work, now trying to stifle and even reverse the gains of democracy. But we must defeat them at the voting booths come the 7th of May 2014. Our votes for the ANC will ensure that the gains of the past 20 years will be built on further by the incoming administration. Our votes for the ANC will ensure that we deepen our democracy and we continue to take responsibility for our freedom. Cde Chris was committed to fight against apartheid. Today we are required to be committed to fight against poverty, unemployment and inequality. Cde Chris Hani knew what the job at hand required: “Socialism is not about big concepts and heavy theory. Socialism is about decent shelter for those who are homeless. It is about water for those who have no safe drinking water. It is about healthcare, it is about life of dignity for the old. It is about overcoming the huge divide between the urban and rural areas. It is about a decent education for all our people. Socialism is about rolling back the tyranny of the market. As long as the economy is dominated by an unelected privileged few, the case for socialism will exist.” I want to end by quoting the words of former President Nelson Mandela when he bid farewell to Cde Chris in April 1993 when he said: “Now is the time for all South Africans to stand together against those who, from any quarter, wish to destroy what Chris Hani gave his life for – the freedom of all of us.” Long live the spirit of Cde Chris Hani long live! OJ Fourie YCLSA National Committee Member Sent from my iPhone -- -- You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to this message. You can visit the group WEB SITE at http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery options, pages, files and membership. To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email [email protected] . You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to put anything in the message part. 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