COSATU Tribute to Chris Hani
10 April 2014
21 year ago on the 10th of April, the world woke up to the tragic news of the passing of our beloved General Secretary of the South African Communist Party, comrade Chris Thembisile Hani who died at the hands of the extreme right wing that was hell-bent on derailing negotiations taking place at CODESA to map a new South Africa.
The people’s General Secretary as some called him was born in the rural village of Sabalele, in the Cofimvaba region of the former Transkei, now Eastern Cape. This is where his passion for justice, for addressing the problems that affect the poor was ingrained.
Growing up in a rural Sabalele which had No running water; No electricity; No decent housing; inadequate health care and little formal education moulded the socialist in him. Later in his life, writing on the case for Socialism, comrade Chris said “Socialism is not about big concepts and heavy theory. Socialism is about decent shelter for those who are homeless. It is about water for those who have no safe drinking water. It is about health care, it is about a life of dignity for the old. It is about overcoming the huge divide between urban and rural areas. It is about a decent education for all our people”
He personified all the best traditions of our movement – a readiness to make sacrifices for the cause, without looking for individual gain or praise. He was famous within the democratic movement for his unconditional uprightness.
He was a people’s leader who always identified with the poor and the working class. For him the concept of liberation and socialism had to be deeply rooted in the movement. He was an intellectual but was at the same time part and parcel of the working class movement. He understood that socialist ideology was useless unless it could be explained and made relevant to the workers and the poor.
Throughout his life, comrade Chris fought for this ideal. This is why in 1957 Chris Hani joined the ANC Youth league when he was only 15 years old and later on, the SACP, ANC and also uMkhonto WeSizwe where he formed part of the “committee of seven” which orchestrated Umkhonto WeSizwe’s operations in Western Cape.
At the time of his passing, comrade Chris Hani was one of the most recognizable faces of the ANC –led tripartite alliance. Hence two decades later, he still inspires us to continue with the struggle to which he devoted, and ultimately sacrificed, his life, and has lessons to teach us which are still relevant today.
Chris Hani taught us the importance of the ANC led alliance and the role for each of the alliance components. He said “We have fought together with the ANC and progressive trade union movement. We feel our presence in this broad alliance has actually strengthened the alliance, and brought about a situation where the interests of the workers and the poor are embraced in the basic programme of the ANC and the trade unions. I think that`s a major contribution that we have made.”
However he understood that the ANC is a multi class organization that at times, has to balance the interests of these multi classes, yet it must maintain its working class biasness. This is why he argued that:
“The ANC, despite being a multi-class organisation, must still retain that element which has made it appealing to the majority of our people, namely, the radical element, the element of addressing some, not all, of the aspirations of the working class… This is also the time where we should consolidate this alliance. And this alliance cannot work in the old way, a few communists working within the ANC and COSATU to try to strengthen these organisations… Let`s accept that there`s always be a struggle within the ANC (not a hostile struggle) for the predominance of the ideas of the various classes within the ANC; there`ll always be an attempt to balance these tendencies within the ANC. The ANC has always had these tendencies; otherwise it wouldn`t be the ANC.”
In conclusion, as we have entered the last phase of the election campaign, it is no doubt that Chris Hani would have been amongst the hundreds of thousands volunteers who have walked the length and breadth of South African telling the good story of the ANC led government. It is without doubt that comrade Chris would have voted for the ANC in the forthcoming elections.
In memory of this colossal giant, comrade Hani, we call on our members to rally behind the organization that he spent over three decades fighting for. We call on our members to be like Chris and vote for the ANC on the 7th of May 2014.
Patrick Craven (National Spokesperson)
Congress of South African Trade Unions
110 Jorissen Cnr Simmonds Streets
Braamfontein
2017
P.O.Box 1019
Johannesburg
2000
South Africa
Tel: +27 11 339-4911 Direct 010 219-1339
Fax: +27 11 339-6940
Mobile: +27 82 821 7456
E-Mail: patrick@cosatu.org.za
 |
| Chris Hani was the commander of MK for the ANC. |
21 year ago on the 10th of April, the world woke up to the tragic news of the passing of our beloved General Secretary of the South African Communist Party, comrade Chris Thembisile Hani who died at the hands of the extreme right wing that was hell-bent on derailing negotiations taking place at CODESA to map a new South Africa.
The people’s General Secretary as some called him was born in the rural village of Sabalele, in the Cofimvaba region of the former Transkei, now Eastern Cape. This is where his passion for justice, for addressing the problems that affect the poor was ingrained.
Growing up in a rural Sabalele which had No running water; No electricity; No decent housing; inadequate health care and little formal education moulded the socialist in him. Later in his life, writing on the case for Socialism, comrade Chris said “Socialism is not about big concepts and heavy theory. Socialism is about decent shelter for those who are homeless. It is about water for those who have no safe drinking water. It is about health care, it is about a life of dignity for the old. It is about overcoming the huge divide between urban and rural areas. It is about a decent education for all our people”
He personified all the best traditions of our movement – a readiness to make sacrifices for the cause, without looking for individual gain or praise. He was famous within the democratic movement for his unconditional uprightness.
He was a people’s leader who always identified with the poor and the working class. For him the concept of liberation and socialism had to be deeply rooted in the movement. He was an intellectual but was at the same time part and parcel of the working class movement. He understood that socialist ideology was useless unless it could be explained and made relevant to the workers and the poor.
Throughout his life, comrade Chris fought for this ideal. This is why in 1957 Chris Hani joined the ANC Youth league when he was only 15 years old and later on, the SACP, ANC and also uMkhonto WeSizwe where he formed part of the “committee of seven” which orchestrated Umkhonto WeSizwe’s operations in Western Cape.
At the time of his passing, comrade Chris Hani was one of the most recognizable faces of the ANC –led tripartite alliance. Hence two decades later, he still inspires us to continue with the struggle to which he devoted, and ultimately sacrificed, his life, and has lessons to teach us which are still relevant today.
Chris Hani taught us the importance of the ANC led alliance and the role for each of the alliance components. He said “We have fought together with the ANC and progressive trade union movement. We feel our presence in this broad alliance has actually strengthened the alliance, and brought about a situation where the interests of the workers and the poor are embraced in the basic programme of the ANC and the trade unions. I think that`s a major contribution that we have made.”
However he understood that the ANC is a multi class organization that at times, has to balance the interests of these multi classes, yet it must maintain its working class biasness. This is why he argued that:
“The ANC, despite being a multi-class organisation, must still retain that element which has made it appealing to the majority of our people, namely, the radical element, the element of addressing some, not all, of the aspirations of the working class… This is also the time where we should consolidate this alliance. And this alliance cannot work in the old way, a few communists working within the ANC and COSATU to try to strengthen these organisations… Let`s accept that there`s always be a struggle within the ANC (not a hostile struggle) for the predominance of the ideas of the various classes within the ANC; there`ll always be an attempt to balance these tendencies within the ANC. The ANC has always had these tendencies; otherwise it wouldn`t be the ANC.”
In conclusion, as we have entered the last phase of the election campaign, it is no doubt that Chris Hani would have been amongst the hundreds of thousands volunteers who have walked the length and breadth of South African telling the good story of the ANC led government. It is without doubt that comrade Chris would have voted for the ANC in the forthcoming elections.
In memory of this colossal giant, comrade Hani, we call on our members to rally behind the organization that he spent over three decades fighting for. We call on our members to be like Chris and vote for the ANC on the 7th of May 2014.
Patrick Craven (National Spokesperson)
Congress of South African Trade Unions
110 Jorissen Cnr Simmonds Streets
Braamfontein
2017
P.O.Box 1019
Johannesburg
2000
South Africa
Tel: +27 11 339-4911 Direct 010 219-1339
Fax: +27 11 339-6940
Mobile: +27 82 821 7456
E-Mail: patrick@cosatu.org.za
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