Keynote address delivered by Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Ms Thandi Modise, on the occasion of the 2021 Chief Albert Luthuli Research Chair Annual Founders Lecture
"Let My People Go”: Reflecting Critically on Chief Albert Luthuli's varied legacies
Programme Director;
Professor Puleng LenkaBula, Principal and Vice-Chancellor;
Mr Important Mkhize, Chairperson of Luthuli Museum Council;
Prof Puleng Segalo, Chairperson of Unisa Chief Albert Luthuli Research Chair;
Prof Thenjiwe Meyiwa, VP: Research, Postgraduate Studies, Innovation and Commercialisation;
Mr Nkululeko Luthuli, Grandson of Chief Albert Luthuli;
Prof Tinyiko Maluleke, Deputy Director: Centre for the Advancement of Scholarship, University of Pretoria;
Dr Vuyolwethu Seti, Head of the Office of Transformation: College of Human Sciences, UNISA;
I am honoured and privileged to have been invited to deliver this address at this momentous occasion and to share my thoughts on the legacy of Chief Albert Luthuli.
It is also significant that the University of South Africa is hosting this historic event a few days after the local government elections. I am certain Chief Albert Luthuli is watching over us and expressing some level of satisfaction with the strides we have made since 1994 to entrench democracy and create a better life for all. The year 1994 fulfilled one of his key hopes – that a day will dawn in our country when the people shall govern!
However, we also know that wherever he is, he is also concerned about the pace and quality of service delivery as well as strange tendencies by some of those who are entrusted with the responsibility to lead and serve the people. For he firmly understood that the attainment of freedom should mean a decisive break with our ugly apartheid past and all its manifestations.
The 1994 democratic breakthrough gave our people a passport to take control of their lives and responsibility for their destiny. It presented an opportunity for us to rigorously lay the foundation for building a new nation. It was an opportunity for us, in our different sectors of human endeavour, to collectively build for ourselves a future that is qualitatively better than our apartheid past.
Chief Luthuli believed that a free and democratic South Africa should be an anti-thesis of the unjust and inherently corrupt apartheid system. Indeed, the power is in our collective hands as citizens to ensure that those we have elected remain accountable, ethical and serve selflessly. This is the aspiration and ideal for which Chief Albert Luthuli lived and died pursuing.
In his book, "Let my People Go", Chief Albert Luthuli depicts the oppressive and atrocious conditions to which black South Africans were subjected in the 1950s and 1960s. The book gives a harrowing picture of the pain and suffering of South Africans at the hands of fellow South Africans. It was this injustice, indignity and heartless atrocities that Chief Albert Luthuli was determined to fight and defeat. He consciously chose to dedicate his entire life to this cause. In so doing, he voluntarily surrendered his personal comfort and security, and sacrificed prospects of a good life for himself in pursuit of the aspirations of his people.
His approach to the struggle was inspired by his religious beliefs and faith. In confronting the regime and fighting to free the oppressed masses of our country, Chief Luthuli invoked the spirit of Moses who, in the Book of Exodus, delivered a simple but profound message from the Lord to Pharaoh: “Let My People Go”. As Exodus 5 verse 1-2 records:
… And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh: “Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, ‘Let my people go’, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness”. And Pharaoh said: “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go”.
When the Lord commanded: “Let my people go”, Pharaoh hardened his heart. He continued to oppress God’s children and defied God’s call to free them from the yoke of oppression. He was determined to keep them in bondage.
The parallels between the Egypt depicted in the book of Exodus and apartheid South Africa are striking. As Moses did during those years, so did Chief Albert Luthuli who knocked persistently to no avail on the doors of successive Pharaohs of apartheid South Africa such as DF Malan, JG Strydom and Hendrik Verwoerd to deliver God’s message: “Let my people go!” Like Pharaoh, these apartheid rulers hardened their hearts and closed their ears. This left Chief Luthuli and his collective with limited options since all forms of peaceful engagement or protest was either ignored or violently suppressed.
Programme Director, this towering giant of our revolution was elected President of the African National Congress (ANC) in 1952 and served until his untimely and mysterious death in 1967. He was at the driving seat during some of the most decisive and critical moments in the country’s liberation struggle. It was under his leadership that the masses of our people engaged in many heroic acts of struggle such as the Defiance Campaign, the anti-pass campaigns, the fight against Bantu Education and the adoption of the Freedom Charter. This is a testament to his exceptional leadership qualities and unwavering commitment to the struggle to free the people of South Africa.
This year we commemorate 60 years since Chief Albert Luthuli was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in the struggle to defeat the institutionalised violence of apartheid.
He was also honoured for his dedication and selfless commitment to the freedom of our country. Being the first recipient from the African Continent of this prestigious award, this was indeed a historic moment for South Africa and the entire continent. As a nation and the continent, we must use this 60th Anniversary to reflect on the legacy of this towering giant and to assess whether we are still on course towards achieving the kind of society for which Chief Luthuli and his generation lived and died.
At this point, we must reflect on the words of Chief Luthuli when delivering the Nobel Lecture at the Oslo University in December 1961:
" … But beneath the surface (of political oppression) there is a spirit of defiance. The people of South Africa have never been a docile lot, least of all the African people. We have a long tradition of struggle for our national rights, reaching back to the very beginnings of white settlement and conquest 300 years ago." He reminded his audience that the history of the African people was “one of opposition to domination, of protest and refusal to submit to tyranny.."
Chief Albert Luthuli believed in non-violent opposition to apartheid. It was only when all avenues for peaceful protest were closed, that the liberation movement was presented with no choice. It resorted to armed struggle as one pillar of our struggle after it became clear that the regime had hardened its hearts and refused to let God’s children to go.
This is demonstrated by the Manifesto of the military wing of the African National Congress, uMkhonto weSizwe (MK):
“The time comes in the life of any nation when there remain only two choices: submit or fight. That time has now come to South Africa. We shall not submit and we have no choice but to hit back by all means within our power in defence of our people, our future and our freedom. The government has interpreted the peacefulness of the movement as weakness; the people's non-violent policies have been taken as a green light for government violence. Refusal to resort to force has been interpreted by the government as an invitation to use armed force against the people without any fear of reprisals. The methods of Umkhonto we Sizwe mark a break with that past.”
On the 16th of December this year, we will also mark the sixtieth anniversary of the formation of uMkhonto we Sizwe, to which Chief Albert Luthuli agreed to its formation as all peaceful avenues of struggle had been denied with the banning of the ANC and other liberation movements after the Sharpeville massacre.
As we mark this 60th anniversary of uMkhonto we Sizwe, we must also reflect on the role and place of the armed struggle as an integral part of the four pillars of our struggle…mass mobilisation; the underground and the international mobilisation and isolation for the fall of the regime. These four pillars were interwoven and none was deemed superior to the other. However, the key understanding was that the armed struggle was subordinated to the political struggle and was a means to pursue it.
Programme Director, the ANC has historically been a peaceful and non-violent organisation in its conduct and execution of the struggle for freedom. The role of MK and the armed struggle was primarily to defend the people of South Africa against the violence of the apartheid regime. Even as the armed struggle against the regime intensified, great care was taken to ensure that innocent civilians were not caught in the cross-fire. Yet, the brutal regime continued to slaughter and maim unarmed citizens in our townships and villages with impunity.
Programme Director, to understand Chief Luthuli’s philosophical outlook and ideological orientation, you need to appreciate his background. His Christian faith, royal background and commitment to justice and freedom, all conspired to create this gigantic, visionary and ethical leader. Consistent with the background I have alluded to, Chief Albert Luthuli was a humble, yet fierce and uncompromising opponent of the apartheid regime.
His upbringing, education as well as witnessing injustices perpetrated by a racist and evil regime against innocent and defenceless citizens, helped to shape this distinguished revolutionary leader. Because he managed to straddle different aspects of life, he was generally an open-minded leader and tolerant of different views and belief systems. He understood how the system and values of traditional leadership can co-exist with grassroots democracy and the struggle to dismantle the status quo. He saw no inherent contradictions between the two world outlooks.
He was an epitome and an embodiment of what we call the broad church within the Congress movement. He was a Christian, but respected all religions. He was of the firm belief that all diverse faiths must have an equal place in a democratic South Africa. He acknowledged and worked with people who opposed his religion.
He embraced people whose beliefs were at odds with his ideology, tradition and faith. What was critical for him was that they all shared the vision of a just, free, democratic, non-racial, non-sexist and prosperous South Africa. He was always keen to work with all South Africans of goodwill across the political spectrum for the liberation of all our people. This is the proud legacy that Chief Albert Luthuli bequeathed to the African National Congress.
He was among prominent progressive Christian figures who rescued the Christian faith from those who were hell-bent on invoking it in support of a policy of racial oppression and exploitation. While some were determined to use the Bible to lend credence to the philosophy of apartheid, Chief Luthuli believed his God was the God of love and justice, while apartheid was based on hatred and injustice. He believed in an activist Jesus who was on the side of the poor and the downtrodden. He was thus inspired by his Christian faith to occupy the foremost trenches against the evils of colonialism and apartheid.
I can state without any fear of contradiction that Chief Luthuli’s progressive version of Christianity inspired other religious leaders such as Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Dr Beyers Naude, Dr Allan Boesak, Dr Franklin Chikane and many others who played a prominent role in the anti-apartheid struggle under the banner of the South African Council of Churches. For them Christianity was a tool for liberation and Christ was a revolutionary.
Chief Luthuli’s Christian faith co-existed comfortably with his royal heritage and firm commitment to the liberation struggle. He remained true to the Christian faith. He remained true to his royal heritage. He remained true to the struggle for liberation. He and the generation that came after him believed that Christians have no inherent duty to obey unjust laws or respect an illegitimate government that is perpetrating injustices and atrocities against God’s children. Thus he was able to lead the defiance campaign against the apartheid regime in the 1950s.
Chief Luthuli, inspired by his faith, recognised that faced by one of the most unjust and oppressive regimes the world has ever seen, silence or neutrality was tantamount to collaboration with the regime. His conscience and Christian teachings would not allow any form of compromise or acquiesce with injustice and oppression. He refused to surrender to its heartless brutality. He refused to submit to an inherently evil and callous system.
Chief Luthuli belongs to that generation of freedom fighters who were prepared to pay the supreme price in pursuit of the liberation of our people. He is an example worthy of emulation by the younger generation. As part of the young combatants of the 1976 generation, we were inspired by leaders such as Chief Luthuli who never wavered nor retreated in the face of difficulties. He never threw his hands in the air in the face of setbacks and what appeared to be insurmountable challenges.
Today we stand on the collective shoulders of this towering giant and his generation. Most prominent of these was Oliver Reginald Tambo, who was the Deputy President during Chief Luthuli’s tenure as President and he later became Acting President when Chief Luthuli died mysteriously.
OR Tambo became President at the Morogoro consultative conference in 1969. The ground breaking conference charted new strategies to wage the struggle against the apartheid regime and the cadres who had left the country with the formation of uMkhonto we Sizwe from 1961 to undergo military training were mobilised and formed into the Luthuli Detachment, so named by OR Tambo as they were to embark on the mission to infiltrate South Africa from the then Rhodesia and Bechuanaland.
These MK cadres, some of whom are still alive today to witness the 60th anniversary of uMkhonto we Sizwe, remain truthful and loyal to what Chief Albert Luthuli stood for. Some of those who fell in combat in operations at Wankie and Sipolilo campaigns included Basil February, Flag Boshielo, Hlekani Gandhi and several others. We continue to walk in their noble footprints. These were exceptional servants of the people who never aspired to personal gain or material wealth as a result of their participation in the struggle. Similarly, Chief Luthuli and his generation would have frowned upon a new culture of opulence and crass materialism that is eating away the moral fibre of our society.
Ladies and gentlemen, it will be remiss of me, if I did not mention that Chief Albert Luthuli was a gender activist in his own right. He was fully committed to gender equality and the full emancipation of women both in his articulation and practice.
He believed that there can be no freedom if women remained oppressed. This was, indeed, a revolutionary pronouncement by a traditional leader, especially at a time when patriarchy was reigning supreme across society and organisations.
As our society continues to grapple with gender-based violence and negative manifestations of patriarchy, the firm voice of Nkosi Albert Luthuli on gender equality continues to reverberate within our movement and corridors of our government. Today we are able to invoke the visionary leadership of Chief Luthuli as ammunition to defeat this scourge. His contribution to promoting gender equality inspired the broader democratic movement and influenced the policies of our government.
Chief Albert Luthuli continues to embody and personify the best qualities and core values of the congress movement. As a true revolutionary and patriot, his contribution to the struggle for liberation was aimed, not at seeking personal glory or fame. It was not motivated by the pursuit of personal ambition, self-interest and an undying lust for power and self-privilege. His was a genuine commitment to build a non-racial, non-sexist and prosperous South Africa. Indeed, his was a selfless contribution to the advancement of all the people of South Africa.
As we remember his life and times, we must make a solemn commitment never to betray the cause for which he dedicated his entire life. All patriots and freedom-loving people must recommit themselves to the ideals that he stood for.
More importantly, we must not lose sight of the legacy Chief Luthuli left us. This is the legacy of selflessness, sacrifice, humility and an unwavering commitment to serve the people. It is this legacy that must guide all our actions as we approach the difficulties and uncertainties of tomorrow.
As the current generation of leaders, we must concede that our movement may have veered off the path set for us by Chief Luthuli and his generation. In its 54th National Conference held in NASREC, the governing party committed itself to a programme of renewal, having acknowledged that it has veered off course and made a mockery of the values and principles that inspired our forebears. A call for renewal is in essence a call for the entire Congress movement to return to the values espoused by Chief Luthuli.
A call for renewal is a call for our movement to return to the time tested values that were embodied by leaders such as Chief Albert Luthuli. As the ANC, we have confidence in our capacity to self-correct and to renew ourselves. In this regard, we must continue our efforts aimed at uprooting corruption and abuse of power at all levels of society. Consistent with the spirit of Chief Luthuli, we must do all these things not to seek personal glory or self-enrichment, but as part of our selfless contribution to the national effort to improve the quality of life of all South Africans.
Chief Albert Luthuli’s name will indeed be mentioned alongside those of the finest sons and daughters of the Continent who lived a life of service and selflessness. Among the other revolutionaries of Chief Albert Luthuli’s time were leaders and luminaries such as Kenneth Kaunda, Julius Nyerere, Ben Bella, Abdou Diop, Joshua Nkomo, to mention but a few.
The people of our country will continue to treasure his memory as one of our most distinguished servants who consciously chose to fight a cruel and inhuman system at a time when it was extremely dangerous to do so.
I am convinced that no one would have dared challenge Chief Albert Luthuli if he were to declare in 1967, as he was staring death in the face, that: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” Drawing inspiration from him, let us all keep the faith, knowing that the vision of a better life for all is within reach.
The road that lies ahead will be long and difficult. The huge apartheid legacy we seek to eradicate is stubborn and will not surrender with sheepish timidity. It demands that we put our collective wheel to the shoulder. We must never abandon our vigilance. To relax our collective efforts now will be a fatal mistake. To let loose now would be to run the risk of aborting the sacred mission of building a better society.
In the name of Chief Albert Luthuli, let us stay on course and strive to work tirelessly in pursuit of the kind of society that enables all its citizens to taste the fruits of our freedom and democracy. He left us a proud legacy and it is this legacy that inspires us to confidently confront the challenges we currently face and those that lie ahead.
I thank you
Enquiries:
Cornelius Monama
Tel: 082 578 4063
Email: Cornelius.Monama@dod.mil.za / Cmonama@gmail.com
