21st Anniversary of the Assassination of Dulcie September, Arcueil,
France
27 March 2009
The Mayor of Arcueil, Mr Daniel Breuiller, Honourable Councillors of Arcueil
Municipality
Principal of the Dulcie September College, Madam Ayache
Educators and learners
Your Excellency Ambassador Sebati
Esteemed guests
Ladies and gentlemen
Bonjour, Good morning
We bring you warm greetings from the people of South Africa. We are
delighted to be here in Arcueil and on behalf of the Government of South Africa
and the Department of Arts and Culture, we would like to express our heart felt
gratitude for the honour to be invited to this significant event to commemorate
the life of our beloved comrade Dulcie September and to participate in todayâs
programme.
We would like to extend our sincerest thanks to the Mayor of Arcueil, to his
team at the Mairie and to the Dulcie September College for the commitment and
enthusiasm you have shown in partnering with us on this important
project.
We would also like to extend our thanks to the Ambassador of South Africa in
France and to her team at the South African Embassy for all their efforts in
making this day a reality.
This is an outstanding example of the heights we can achieve when we work
together, in true co-operation and partnership!
As Mme Ayache had mentioned, we are privileged to be accompanied by two
members of Dulcie Septemberâs family who I would like to briefly introduce to
you:
* Mr Michael Arendse, who is the nephew of the late Dulcie September, is a
resident in South Africa. He works for the ESP Africa, the company which
organises the Cape Town Jazz Festival annually. We understand that Michael has
intentions of producing a documentary on the life of Dulcie and we would ask
for contributions and support for this initiative from people who knew Dulcie
well and
* Mr Randolph Arendse who is Michaelâs fatherâs brother (relation) of the late
Dulcie September.
He is a retired Clinical Psychologist and was Head of Young Women Christian
Association (YWCA) home of safety. He is presently resident in Lausanne,
Switzerland. Dulcie spent her last Christmas in 1987 with Radolph and his
family.
Unfortunately, Dulcieâs younger sister, Stephanie Arendse (Michaelâs mother)
who is 72 years old now could not come with us as she did not feel comfortable
to fly over a long distance. However, she sends her warmest greetings and has
asked us to convey her sincerest appreciation to the Mairie and the community
of Arcueil for honouring her sister in this way.
As the government and the people of South Africa we are truly humbled by the
solidarity shown by the international community and the people of Arcueil over
the years.
While we were involved in the struggle for freedom and democracy in South
Africa, the community of Arcueil and, indeed, the people of France, not only
extended a hand of friendship by giving refuge to our sisters and brothers who
were forced to flee our country, the people of Arcueil ensured that Dulcieâs
memory was kept alive and her contributions were not forgotten.
This solidarity is consistently a feature of Arcueilâs relations with South
Africa and expresses itself in many forms both governmental and among the civil
society. We are grateful for the financial contributions that the community of
Arcueil through the leadership of the Mayor of Arcueil made to support our
sisters and brothers who were the victims of the unfortunate and painful
incidents of xenophobia attacks back home in South Africa. Some of you the
learnerâs may be wondering, who was Dulcie September and why she was so feared
by the apartheid regime that it became necessary for someone to assassinate
her?
Dulcie Evonne September was born on 20 August 1935 and grew up in Athlone
which is a suburb of Cape Town. She was among the first group of learners to
attend the then newly established Athlone High College which was also attended
by our Minister of Arts and Culture, Dr Pallo Jordan. She qualified as a
teacher in the mid-50s at a time when education had become one of the terrains
of the struggle for liberation. In the mid-1950âs, the then Prime Minister of
South Africa, Dr Verwoerd and his government introduced Bantu education, which
was inferior system of education intended only for black people. Dr Verwoerd is
often quoted has having said that natives (Blacks) do not need to be educated
and can only be âdrawers of water and hewers of woodâ.
This is what drove Dulcie September and like minded activists join politics
and associate themselves with the liberation movement. Thus in 1957 joined the
Cape Peninsula Studentsâ Union, an affiliate of the Unity Movement of South
Africa.
In October 1963, because of her political activities, she was arrested and
detained without trial. In 1964, she was charged with conspiring to commit acts
of sabotage together with nine others. She was sentenced to five yearsâ
imprisonment and on her release from prison she was banned for five years. She
then left South Africa in 1974 to further her studies in Britain were she
joined the African National Congress (ANC) in exile.
Dulcie was very committed to struggle for freedom and justice and become
very involved in the work of the movement. She soon got the recognition of the
leadership of the ANC and in 1984 she was appointed Chief Representative of the
ANC in France, Switzerland and Luxemburg. She worked very closely with the
anti-apartheid movement in Britain and in France.
She was assassinated on 29 March 1988 as she was about to open the ANC
office in Paris. Before her assassination she received death threats and we
believe that this was reported to the police. However, until this day the
assassin has not been arrested.
Dulcie September made an invaluable contribution in the struggle for the
liberation of the people of South Africa and even made personal
sacrifices.
It is therefore proper and fitting to pay tribute to this gallant fighter, a
leader and a hero of our struggle in her own right.
Once again, we would like to express our deep appreciation to the Mairie of
Arcueil and the Community of Arcueil for the honour bestowed upon our dear
comrade and freedom fighter, Dulcie September. This has inspired us a great
deal in South Africa and it has given birth to this Dulcie September Legacy
Project.
The aims of the Dulcie September Legacy project are:
* to acknowledge the heroes (women and men) who sacrificed their lives for the
attainment of freedom and democracy in South Africa
* to highlight the contribution of Dulcie September in fighting against
cultural intolerance and in building a democratic, non-racial, non-sexist and
cohesive society
* to highlight the role of women in the struggle for freedom and democracy in
South Africa and internationally
* to mobilise young South Africans and to instil in them a sense of
appreciation of the rich legacy of their forbears as well as the contribution
and support of the international community, particularly the anti-apartheid
movement, to the liberation of our people.
This project will focus mainly on the legacy of Dulcie September. We hope to
hold an annual Dulcie September Memorial Lecture during the month of August at
one of our Institutions of Higher Learning in the Western Cape.
The exchange programme between the learners of Dulcie September College in
Arcueil and learners of South Africa of the same level proposed by your selves
is most welcomed.
The Department of Arts and Culture has also nominated Dulcie September for
the award of the Mendi Decoration for Bravery. This is the highest form of
recognition that South Africa bestows on its citizens and friends. It is one of
the few ways in which people who have excelled in their own fields and given
exceptional service are acknowledged.
I would again like to thank the people of Arcueil and their public
representatives for the goodwill they have shown towards the people of South
Africa and for also keeping the memory of Dulcie September alive through this
project. We will always love you and remember you for what you have done for
us. I am personally very excited at the prospect of a Learner Exchange
Programme between our two countries. We in South Africa will do our best to
make this co-operation a resounding success.
Honourable Mayor, esteemed guests, I thank you very much for this
opportunity to address you today. Merci beaucoup
Thank You!
Issued by: Department of Arts and Culture
27 March 2009
Source: Department of Arts and Culture (http://www.dac.gov.za)
