Esteemed members of the family
Fellow South Africans
Comrades and friends,
Allow me to humbly convey, on behalf of the government and people of South Africa, our heartfelt condolences to the family of Mama Nontsikelelo Albertina Sisulu.
We wish to say to the family and fellow comrades, from deep down our hearts, your loss is our loss. The whole nation is in mourning with the progressive and patriotic family. Our hearts feel empty and hollow for we have lost a person of value.
Between our tears, we find it hard to conjure up another pearl of equal value and valour with which to replace her, and, in so doing, calm our heavy and bleeding hearts. Together we have lost a loving mother and a patient nurturer. Her passing on before the ink of the May elections has dried from our thumbs has left a deep cut in our hearts.
Although the Holy Scriptures expect of us to cry for ourselves, the heaviness of this enormous loss makes us all to helplessly go on crying for Mama Sisulu.
We trust that this official memorial service and many others in the country, will help us properly to mourn and celebrate the life of a giant and icon of the struggle. Mama Sisulu was a fearless warrior-queen from the days of internal colonialism and apartheid to the current epoch of human dignity, equality and freedom for all.
We deeply share the pain and extreme sadness that has befallen the Sisulu family – an ideal family of loyal cadres commanding respect at home and abroad.
As the national flag continues to fly at half-mast, we continue to feel the heavy weight of fate that has robbed us of a shoulder to lean on, of a genuine friend for all seasons, a comrade to die for, a nation builder, a humble nurturer and a caring mother who profoundly understood what the ancient sages of our land meant when they said ‘mme o tshwara thipa ka fa bogaleng’.
This loving mother of the nation, Mama Nontsikelelo Albertina Sisulu, the former Deputy President of the African National Congress Women's League (ANCWL) who always led from the front, meant everything to every one of us in the progressive and revolutionary movement.
We want our people and the world to know that the life of this finest daughter of the South African revolution was inextricably linked to defining moments in the history of our glorious movement.
Born on 21 October 1918, only six years after the formation of the ANC, she bid farewell to this world in the comfort of her home, on 2 June 2011, less than a year before the ANC turns 100.
It is for this reason that we are saying the life and times of Mama Sisulu were inseparable from the history of the African National Congress (ANC) and from the historical development of the South African state.
Any account of this country’s history that will make no mention of this brave pillar of the struggle will be utterly incomplete and not worthy of the paper it would have been written on.
The passing on of Mama Sisulu touched all of us largely because, like royalty, hers was an exemplary life lived and endured in the selfless service of the people. Truly, we have lost a mother of the nation who was one with the people, in sickness and in health.
We must find comfort in knowing that the name of this cherished stalwart and struggle veteran will forever evoke among us deep feelings of respect and admiration.
We know that this humble and impeccable leader gave her entire life to the noble fight for freedom.
In 1954, she played an active role in the launch of the Federation of South African Women, and was in the forefront in the fight against patriarchal domination and gender oppression. We shall not forget that with the gallant women of this country, she marched to Pretoria against the pass laws, in August 1956.
She held various positions within the mass democratic movement, including the position of first co-president of the United Democratic Front in 1983, a responsibility she discharged to the best of her ability, against all odds and in the face of brutal repression and suppression.
We feel her loss and are here to pay tribute to her, precisely because she fought against racism and sexist to the bitter end.
Mama Sisulu who became a member of the first democratic Parliament, in 1994, gave her entire life to the construction of “a democratic state based on the will of all the people, [that] can secure to all their birthright without distinction of colour, race, sex or belief” – a society envisioned in the Freedom Charter.
The women of this country will and must always defend jealously her memory, teachings, and contribution to the struggle. She was a prolific organiser who helped nurture women’s struggles with the patience of a devoted nurse.
Her role and that of her husband, Walter Sisulu, another ANC stalwart and revered veteran, touched our lives in many memorable ways. It is no exercise in hyperbole to say theirs was indeed a truly South African love story intrinsically linked to the fate and destiny of our people.
Luli Callinicos, a social historian, wrote in Oliver Tambo: Beyond the Engeli Mountains (2004:197) that Albertina Thethiwe (Mama Sisulu’s maiden name) was a “sensible woman with an acute social conscience”.
Callinicos has reminded us of “the harmony of the Sisulu’s relationship [which] was an inspiration to Walter’s friends”, who included Baba Madiba and Comrade Oliver Tambo.
In Long Walk to Freedom (1994: 90-94), Baba Madiba confirms that from those early years of struggle “Walter’s house in Orlando was a mecca for activists and ANC members”.
Madiba said that “It was a warm [and] welcoming place” and that Mama Sisulu “was a wise and wonderful presence, and a strong supporter of Walter’s political work”.
It is when we look at how they lived their lives, what they have done for their country, and the high values that guided and organised their lives, that we come to appreciate better another special union made in heaven to bless our shores – that of Oliver Tambo and Adelaide Tambo.
They dedicated their lives and those of their children to the most noble cause of all so that we can all one day enjoy the bountiful fruits of freedom.
We are indebted to Mama Sisulu and other cadres who made us who we are – a liberated people, after decades of bitter struggle, united in our diversity.
Her spirit and good deeds will live on. On our part, we have learnt from the example she has set. We must all emulate her high values and ethics. Most importantly, we would like to urge all our young people to learn from her ways and be wise.
Every patriot must make it a historical mission to defend and build on the rich legacy of a selfless leader the calibre of Mama Albertina Sisulu.
The struggle for a better life for all is not yet over. Many challenges still lie ahead. It is our task to stoke the transformation express in honour of Mama Sisulu.
Once more, as the people and government of South Africa, we express our sincerest condolences to the family. We thank all our people who have put everything aside to lend support to the family during this difficult time. When we have laid our distinguished patriot to rest, your support will give us the necessary strength to lower the flag of death and begin the process of healing and recovery. May her soul rest in peace!
Source: Department of Basic Education
