P Mlambo-Ngcuka: Anniversary of death of Chris Hani

8 April 2006

“If that man was weather, it would always be sunny. He doesn’t change. He’s
always the same, friendly, smiling, full of humour and caring. I think Kaunda
must make him a Cabinet minister so that he doesn’t go back to South Africa.”
(Chris Hani’s neighbour in Zambia)

Premier of the Eastern Cape, Nosimo Balindlela,
South African Communist Party (SACP) Secretary-General, Blade Nzimande,
SACP Provincial Secretary,
National African Federated Chamber of Commerce (Nafcoc) President, Thembelani
Nodada,
Amathole District Municipality Mayor, Sakhumzi Somyo,
Comrades and friends,

In two days’ time it will be exactly 13 years since Chris Thembisile Hani,
the hero of our revolution and the martyr in the struggle against apartheid and
racism, was brutally and mercilessly murdered by the forces of
counter-revolution.

Chris Hani was one of the most outstanding, selfless, dedicated and
committed leaders of his generation to emerge in the national democratic
revolution of our people to liberate themselves from the shackles of apartheid
South Africa. Indeed he was most loved by the ordinary masses.

We meet here today, in honour of his memory and we remember that Chris was
one of the most brilliant, humble and fearless freedom fighters ever to have
emerged from the liberation movement. He was a fighter for the workers and the
poor – a fighter for the woman in her shack, the worker in the factory. He was
a working-class leader, a dedicated soldier in the fight for justice, peace and
freedom.

Chris was born on 28 June 1942 in the rural village of Sabalele, in the
Cofimvaba District of the Eastern Cape. As he grew up, he showed signs of being
a brilliant student. His rural background hugely influenced him at an early age
to understand the cruel conditions under which the African majority lived. His
father explained the system of apartheid and the role of the African National
Congress (ANC) and its history to him at a very young age.

He joined the ANC Youth League in 1957. In 1959 he enrolled at the
University of Fort Hare, where he played an instrumental role in building the
student and youth movement. By 1962 he had finished his degree at the young age
of 19.

In October 1962 Chris was the youngest delegate to attend an ANC Conference,
which took place in Lobatse (Botswana). It was the first conference of the ANC
as a banned organisation, and having formed uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) and adopted
the strategy of armed struggle. After the conference, Chris was arrested and
sentenced under the Suppression of Communism Act to 18 months in prison. He
appealed and, on losing his appeal in 1963, he left the country on instructions
of Govan Mbeki to join the newly-formed uMkhonto we Sizwe. This was a turning
point in his life. As they say, so correctly in this case, from then onwards
the rest is history.

Chris was among the early recruits of MK to receive his military training in
Odessa in the Soviet Union. In 1967 Chris was part of the Luthuli Detachment,
which participated in the Wankie-Sipolilo Campaign. The importance of this
campaign is that it helped in boosting the morale in the camps and was the
first where MK combatants engaged the enemy on the battlefield.

Chris rapidly rose both in the ranks of MK and the ANC, becoming the
youngest National Executive Committee (NEC) member in 1974. His deployment to
Lesotho proved a masterstroke when he managed to build a strong ANC underground
from the mid-1970s to the early 1980s.

He survived numerous attempts on his life during this period. At the ANC’s
insistence he left Lesotho in October 1982. Two months later the apartheid
regime conducted a cross-border raid in Lesotho, killing 42 people.

Later Chris became MK Army Commissar and then the Chief of Staff. These
positions, where he showed flair and leadership, endeared him to many MK
soldiers. He was indeed highly respected, trusted and loved by the soldiers.
His leadership style was to listen attentively to the soldiers and then dealing
frankly and effectively with their problems. His presence helped to build a
spirit of openness within MK camps.

By the time the ANC was unbanned in 1990, Chris’s name was synonymous with
that of MK. His exploits were legendary, and his militancy made him one of the
most feared and renowned opponents of apartheid. In 1991 he was elected General
Secretary of the SACP, a position he held until he was assassinated.

Explaining why he accepted that position when communism was said to be in
retreat in the rest of the world, Chris explained “I didn’t get involved in the
workers’ struggle out of theory. It was a combination of theory and my own
background. I have never faltered in my belief in socialism, despite all the
problems currently. For me that belief is strong, because it is still the hope
of the majority of the people, the poor, with whom I share a common background,
the people who suffered, I think, the worst extremes of apartheid”.

The cruel death of Chris at the hand of apartheid assassins in 1993 has been
recognised as one of the major turning points in our struggle. It nearly set
the whole nation aflame.

But the response of the cadres was disciplined and strategic: It helped to
propel our struggle forward towards a definite national democratic election,
thus leading our country from apartheid to democracy. It was only after his
killing that the democratic breakthrough became possible at the negotiating
table. So he was, in death, inextricably and poignantly linked to our
salvation. We owe our freedom and democracy in large measure to sacrifices such
as his; and indeed to so many who died so that this country could be freed.
Almost as his monument, the date of democratic elections was announced after
his brutal slaying.

One of the most important legacies that Chris left our struggle was that,
through his leadership of the SACP, he ensured that he demystified and
simplified socialism for many people. For him the socialist project meant the
attainment of the most basic things in life. Socialism for him meant we should
deal with poverty eradication and the legacy of apartheid. For him it was also
important that all people should have houses, jobs, access to water,
electricity, infrastructure, free and compulsory education, access to health
facilities and such basic things.

It is for that reason that we are confident that today, as we celebrate 12
years since our country was liberated, we know that Chris would be celebrating
with us because of the advances we have made, around those issues.

We believe that the interventions that we are making at the level of trying
to eradicate poverty and create employment opportunities for our people would
have been warmly welcomed by him. The fact that we have the Accelerated and
Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (AsgiSA) in place today is an
important practical step along this road.

AsgiSA has as its main objective developing our economy, so that there will
be more job-creation in our country thus helping us to eradicate poverty and
create a better life for all. In the first phase, between 2005 and 2009 we seek
an annual growth rate that averages 4.5% or higher. In the second phase,
between 2010 and 2014, we seek an average growth rate of at least 6% of the
Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The current signs are that we have this within
reach.

More broadly, we need to ensure that the fruits of growth are shared in such
a way that poverty is halved by 2014, and comes as close as possible to being
eliminated in the not-distant future; and that the severe inequalities that
still plague our country are considerably reduced. Our vision of our
development path is a vigorous and inclusive economy where products and
services are diverse, with more value added to them, costs of production and
distribution are reduced, labour is readily absorbed into sustainable
employment, and new businesses are encouraged to proliferate and expand. In
short, our nation prospers – not for the few but for all.

The most important thing to note here is that, for us to meet our
objectives, we need a strong partnership with the private sector. Our
understanding is that, while government can create jobs, it is mainly the
terrain of business.

The most important aspect of government is facilitating and creating
conducive conditions for business to operate better. This we have done by way
of ensuring that there are proper policies in place and by improving the
infrastructure and environment where business can operate over a wide
front.

South African business also has to develop its own understanding of the
South African economy, to appreciate that we come from a particular type of
past, an apartheid past, which poses serious challenges for our economy today.
The major point here is to understand the nature of the two economies that we
have inherited: the First, which is well-off, and the Second, which is
marginalised and poor. We have to change that, and, in time, weld them into one
economy serving all fairly.

While business seems to be in touch with reality about the First Economy,
their understanding of the Second Economy is quite weak. For instance, we need
more investments in rural areas of the country, where most people in the Second
Economy are to be found.

But it is not a matter of compulsion or limitation placed on business. No,
business should understand that its investment in such areas would be
beneficial for them in the long term. Many rural areas of South Africa have a
potential that is not fully unlocked at the moment. There is a great deal of
opportunity out there.

We need to see clear interventions and contributions from business in
supporting local economic development initiatives especially in smaller rural
municipalities. By building capacity in such places, business will also be
investing in the future, including its own future.

Government and public enterprise investment expenditure for the period April
2005 to March 2008 is planned to be about R370bn. Of this about 40% will be
spent by public enterprises, such as Eskom (R84bn) and Transnet (R47bn, of
which R40bn is “core”), and mostly on power generation, power distribution,
rail transport, harbours and an oil pipeline. The general purpose is to improve
the availability and reliability of infrastructure services in response to
rapidly growing demand.

Business will hugely benefit from these investments because, with better
infrastructure, business thrives. So we need to see businesses meeting us half
way by taking bold steps in rural economic development. They should see the
interconnectedness of our efforts to their objectives.

As we commemorate this event – in solemnity and optimism - 13 years since
Chris Hani was assassinated, we must remember his passing and honour his
contribution by making sure that we remain true to his legacy.

We should redouble our efforts to accelerate change, the pace of delivery of
basic services, the eradication of poverty and the creation of a better life
for all our people. That, put simply, is what he would have wanted.

Thank you.

Issued by: The Presidency
8 April 2006