ANC AND MKMVA COMRADE E.R.K. MAPHATSOE’S SPEECH AT THE OCCASION OF THE BURIAL OF CDE ZWELI MUSA SIZANI. 11 OCTOBER 2014 Comrades we are gathered to bury Comrade Zweli Musa Sizani, as one of us, as members of the African National Congress, as ex-combatants of Umkhonto we Sizwe, as members of the South African Communist Party, as members the Congress of South African Trade Union, and as members of the society. We have come to bid farewell to one of those who sacrificed his youth, gave his future to the struggle of the freedom of the people of South Africa, and took an oath never to betray the cause of the people. We have come to hold hands together and witness the intern of the mortal remains of a comrade, a commissar, a political activist, and an organiser of the society, under the leadership of the national liberation movement in its entirety, led by the African National Congress. We are mourning the death of an ex-combatant, who up to his last day stood firm as an activist, as he contributed in the facilitation of political education in Gauteng province, as he fully participated in the festival of ideas to reinforce the unity of the ANC, and the broader national liberation movement. Comrades, the grim reaper is plucking from the glorious tree of liberty. It is harvesting the fruits that are borne by the tree of our liberation struggle. Almost regularly, these days, we lose comrades, like ripe fruits falling off an overburdened tree. Every day, we become poorer of comrades who sacrificed everything, for the glorious struggle of the people of our country. Every day, the passing on, of our seasoned cadres of our revolution, happens like an autumn preceding a cold, windy and lonely winter. These days regularly, our stalwarts and ex-combatants, perish like leaves falling off the dry branches of a giant tree, to leave it exposed, barren, with dried twigs, to await the cold, dry and lonely winter, which in turn will await the period of spring, the moment of rejuvenation. We are dying because new life must take over. We are passing on because we played our role. But our demise must be the foundation on which new generations must carve their purpose, their mission in life, their future and the future of our society. Comrades and compatriots, while some did not liv`e long enough to see the dawn of freedom, many of us have been fortunate enough, not only to witness change in our country, but we have also become part of the efforts to implement that change. However, at the sometime, some amongst us have also unfortunately become part of those who resist change for a variety of reasons. Some feel they have arrived at their destination. Yet some feel that our pace is too slow, and our direction mostly blurred. We are confronted with the challenge that at times, seems to give an impression that we have lost our common vision. At times we we seem to quarrel amongst ourselves as the society, and yet at times we seem to see things from completely different perspectives as members of the national liberation movement. However, often we seem to completely forget, that our overwhelming burden, is the legacy of apartheid racist colonialism. Our efforts to deal with that reality, and the resistance of those who benefitted from the past of racist apartheid colonialism, have seemingly driven us to the crossroads of our struggle. We are at this juncture of our struggle were action is not enough, without adequate revolutionary theory to verify and ensure the correctness of our deeds. We have arrived at this point, where we need to introspect ourselves as individuals, as the national liberation movement and as the society, whether our zeal, vim and verve does serve the cause of the advancement of the principles of our revolution, or those of the reactionary forces. We have come to a situation where we have to ask ourselves whether our actions meant to serve the cause of the people, are serving the needs of our society, or the purpose for our individual fame to achieve celebrity status. We are at the cross roads, and when we stand at the cross roads, we become a contested territory, and feel besieged by all the necessary and unnecessary attention accorded to us. Comrades and compatriots, this is the moment when the passing of a cadre like Comrade Zweli Musa Sizane, an ex-combatant, an organiser, a commissar and a thinker, becomes a painful reality to accept, precisely because, at this juncture, his commitment and his talent as a thinker are in much need. In this particular site of struggle. We need thinkers like Cde Zweli, who possess a revolutionary content, and not just academic qualifications, to clarify us as to the particular context of this current phase of our revolution. This is the phase when not only revolutionaries show the path, but also reactionaries in all hues, feel emboldened to lie and try their best, or even worst, to confuse and impose their will on the society. It is a season in which sensation, lies and misinformation are more acceptable to the vocal few, while the truth is questioned ceaselessly because of its bitterness in the circumstances. It is a season in which we as revolutionaries must tell the truth patiently, entirely in its bitterness, and at all times. Our failure to tell the truth persistently and explain ourselves constantly, will give space to the wedge drivers and anti-revolutionaries. They will seize the moment and try to capture the imagination of the people with lies, distortions, misinformation and more lies. Our patience understanding and constitutionality is being pulled to unacceptable levels, this is done to provoke us into extremism, which anticipates a reactionary right wing backlash. Our intellect is treated with contempt, this is to drive us into being illogical and populist, with the misinformed hope that we shall sink to the levels of our detractors. Insults are being heaped at the leadership of the movement and the general movement at large, this is done to push us into a situation where we would react in kind, and be part of the deceptive morass, that is aimed at defocusing the movement from the real issues of our need to transform our society fundamentally. We are treated by the vocal few and their sensationalist media as the pariah, even though the majority in this country supports the ANC. Comrades we need committed thinkers like Comrade Zweli, to come to the fore, and tell us that we are indeed standing at the cross roads, and when we stand at the crossroads for too long, we appear naked and as objects of insults. When we stand at the crossroads for too long, we shall be buried under a heap of lies, distortions, misinformation, and populist insults. Let us take the example of the strategic arms acquisition program, which has been dubbed the arms deal. It was concluded in 1999, and since then we have been treated with a concoction of allegations of corruption. However, when the government sets up a Judicial Commission of Inquiry, all those who were at the forefront of making allegations, refuse to give evidence, or we are treated to a litany of fabrications by obviously deluded people. We are served with a tranche of conspiracy theories, in place of some hard evidence that was promised. The star of that circus, Terry Crawford-Browne, is as fake as they come. One wonders, what does the South African media, which has been so vocal say about such obvious lunacy. Comrades, we are informed by those who know nothing about us, including by Terry Crawford-Brown. He insinuates about the leadership of this movement through fabrications and simple lies. Lies that one does not need to repeat here, that some among the leadership informed him. That man who is clearly sick in his head, attempt to drive a wedge even among the dead. He makes serious allegations which he knows will never stand the test of legal questioning. It is our responsibility and duty during the funeral of our political educator, Comrade Zweli, to state that we shall not be dettered, and we shall not accept lies about our leaders. We still respect and honour Comrade Chris Hani and Comrade Joe Modise, for having led our movement and the armed struggle during the very difficult days of illegality. We also still honour and respect Cde Winnie Mandela for having stood against the apartheid regime and its smears which were meant to destroy her. On the other hand a grouping that got about 10% of the vote in the national elections, promising the poor accelerated transformation, sits with the most right-wing parties in Parliament, and opposes the transformational policies of the ANC. Not only that, but it seeks to impose its will on the majority. Now, comrade Zweli as a Commissar, would teach that democracy is the rule of the majority over everybody else. Not the other way round. The sensational and oppositional media of our country, is not interested in teaching that tiny majority that what it does is childishly dangerous because it seeks to smuggle a dictatorship into our house of Parliament. The media which serves an opposition purpose against the ANC, instead of informing the people, fails to inform the childish opposition that it is violating the principles of our Parliament and legislatures, and therefore betraying the trust of the people who voted for them. In their search to find a purpose for the existence of their parties, they insult the ANC, and as such insult the aspirations of the majority. Political education, which Comrade Zweli was intensely involved in, in Gauteng Province, can be attributed to the outcome of the recent Provincial Conference. The comrades spoke with one voice, and held a conference that displayed a high level of unity. There were frank political discussions around organizational issues. When it came to elections, it was clear that the branches had thoroughly informed themselves, such that there was no jockeying for power, or the now new fashion of factional leadership contestation. Instead of the oppositionist media reporting honestly about the serious and impressive nature and content of the successful conference, they fabricate an item that President Jacob Zuma snubbed the conference. This is regardless that there was a good complement of ANC national leadership led by the Deputy President of the ANC and the Republic, Cde Cyril Ramaphosa. Our media has become political in a sense that is oppositionist to the ANC, and fails to inform the people. When we say that South Africa is at the crossroads and needs to take a turn to the right and be damned by history, or turn to the left to serve the interest of the poor and the working class and the landless rural majority, others in the opposition are also aware of that reality. But since they loyally serve the interest of imperialism with its white rich proxy-that has recently been joined by some among the new African middle class-they resist all effort to effect any change. Theirs is to perpetuate the old ownership and power relations. They group and regroup under different names but with the same backward ideology, which is anti-working class, anti-poor and anti-progress. This is while some of them are using revolutionary sounding slogans, when their actions are detrimental to the cause of the workers, and the working class. It is of utmost importance, that commissars, like Cde Zweli did, should come forward, teach these realities to inform our people of the machinations of reactionary forces, which are all meaningless but ultimately hurtful to the cause of the majority. Comrades, as Cde Zweli taught, we may have the correct ideological positions, we may possess the proper politics and policies, we may be the best movement positioned to advance the cause of our revolution, but without unity we are nothing. The ANC was founded on the bedrock of unity. It sought to unite the African majority, and evolved to unite the whole society regardless of race colour or creed. It has become the champion of the poor and the hope of our people. It has earned the role of the leadership of the society. We have a responsibility to keep it relevant and rebuild its integrity. We have a responsibility to build on its 100 years foundation, to ensure that our actions currently, are such that it remains alive for the next 100 years. We must strengthen its content of ethical leadership. We must ensure that we deal effectively with any signs of social distance influenced by its operations in government. We must recapture the spirit of a humble, but decisive ANC which listens and acts on the aspirations of the people. The family of Cde Zweli, the ANC and Umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans’ Association, indeed honour you for having given your son to the cause of the people. The ANC and MKMVA also thanks this community for having raised among itself, such a committed cadre, a political educator and a very disciplined member of the ANC. I thank you.
Posted on: Sat, 11 Oct 2014 09:22:22 +0000
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