It would be a disaster to the memory of comrade Chris Hani if the ruling African National Congress (ANC) lose power during the upcoming 2019 elections, said South African Communist Party (SACP) secretary general Blade Nzimande on Tuesday at a Chris Hani commemoration ceremony, in Boksburg. 

The Ekurhuleni municipality and the SACP commemorated the twenty-fifth anniversary of the assassination of Hani on April 10, 1993 at his Boksburg home, which will soon be converted into a museum.

Nzimande said Hani’s legacy lived on because of his contribution in the fight for liberation.

The Transport Minister also praised Ekurhuleni Mayor Mzwandile Masina for “ensuring that Hani’s legacy was always celebrated”.

He went on to commend Justice Minister Michael Masutha’s decision for refusing to grant Hani’s murderer Janusz Waluś parole. Nzimande accused Waluś of still not telling the truth.

“He must stay in jail not because we are evil people, all we want is the truth. We still want the whole truth. We will never rest,” stated Nzimande.

He added that it was also befitting to honour the life of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela who he said was close to Hani and who recently passed away due to a long illness.

“As we remember Chris Hani we need to remind ourselves of the work at hand. I appeal to all Umkhonto we Sizwe veterans to work on sorting out [any] divisions. The best way to remember Chris Hani is to unite all soldiers. Former generals should take the lead,” he appealed.

Alliance Operations

Nzimande pointed out that it was time for alliance partners to sit down and reconfigure how the alliance was designed “because times have changed”.

He said it was not fair to the communists that positions were mostly awarded to people in the ruling party even though all partners worked hard to make sure that the African National Congress (ANC) stayed in power.

“We are not a nongovernment organisation as the SACP.  The alliance has to be revived by consulting the ANC,” he said.

He encouraged alliance partners, especially the ruling party, to fight all attempts against unity.

“We support President Cyril Ramaphosa’s efforts of a new dawn. The biggest challenge we faced after the 1994 elections was to transform the lives of our people but the opposite has happened. We have to undo that by introducing political education which will see young cadres taking over positions to improve the lives of our people,” suggested Nzimande.

Madikizela-Mandela Tribute

Hani’s daughter Lindiwe Hani said although it was 25 years after her father was brutally assassinated, to her it felt as though it had happened yesterday.

She said her father was very close to Madikizela-Mandela, who she described as a strong woman who fought for the liberation of the country.

“She was fearless. She doesn’t need to be defended. She was fearless. She has nothing to be sorry about. Forgiveness and reconciliation was thrust upon us before we were ready. We have our work cut out for us,” said Hani.

She thanked all South Africans who carried the Hani family in their hearts.

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) general secretary Bheki Ntshalintshali said the commemoration of Hani’s assassination was not just about honouring Hani but also about recommitting and make promises on what the movement stood for.

“Hani never turned his back on the movement. Leaders who easily turn and speak against their own organisations show that they have not been in the organisation for a long time. As we celebrate the life of Chris Hani we are also celebrating the lives of all comrades who have fought for liberation,” said Ntshalintshali.

He said Cosatu was happy to report to Hani that the movement was healing, referring to the recent changes that saw former ANC and South African President Jacob Zuma step down.

“The movement of Oliver Reginald Tambo is standing firm against corruption both in government and in the private sector. As workers we are confident that the minimum wage, which will benefit 6.2-million workers, will soon be finalised. The road ahead is difficult because 9.2-million people are unemployed in South Africa and some have no hope of finding jobs,” Ntshalintshali said.

He also reminded Nzimande of the upcoming protest that was aimed at appealing to government to scrap e-tolls.

“We are glad that the task of public transport was given to a communist.  Western Cape trains have become non-existent. The communist party has a responsibility to restore safety in the public transport sector,” said Ntshalintshali.

He also urged the ruling party to either reverse value added tax or expand zero rated goods because many poor people were affected.

Masina said South Africans celebrated Hani’s life on this occasion with bleeding hearts due to the loss of Madikizela-Mandela.

“She made a valuable contribution in Ekurhuleni townships during the times of apartheid. She inspired resilience in our youth,” he said.

Masina added that Madikizela-Mandela and Hani convinced the youth to be fearless and to never give up even when threatened with death.

He said preparations were well under way to turn Hani’s house into a museum to make sure that his legacy always lived on.