Programme Director
Chairperson of the Each One Teach One Foundation, Cde Mzamo Martins
Board Members of the Each One Teach One Foundation
Immediate Former President of the Each One Teach One Foundation, Cde Makgane (Bob Marley) Thobejane (My brother, Friend and Fellow Combatant)
Immediate Former Board Members of Each One Teach One Foundation here present
Members of the EOTOF Chapters
Current and former Leaders of COSAS here present
Veterans of the Student Movement here present
ANC Johannesburg Regional Secretary, Cde Dada Morero
COSAS Johannesburg Regional Chairperson, Cde Panuel Maduma
Reverend Baloyi
Representatives of the Bheki Mlangeni Foundation here present
Comrades and Compatriots

I feel nostalgic to be not only home but also brushing shoulders with cadres that I shared and still share political trenches with. As you are aware, I cut my political teeth on the dusty streets of Diepkloof and to be back here tonight to celebrate the 38th Anniversary of the formation of a colossal student organization, the Congress of South African Students (COSAS) and reminisce about the gallant struggles that students, side-by-side with other patriots, waged then, is a humbling experience indeed.

My heartfelt gratitude goes to the Board of the Each One Teach One Foundation (EOTOF) for inviting me to retrace our steps and reflect on the challenges that our movement and country are facing today. I must also hasten to dedicate my input to the heroes and heroines of the students’ struggle for free, quality and compulsory education – alive and having passed on. These are women and men (they are now), who sacrificed life and limb for the realization of that seminal and living document, the Freedom Charter.

Inspired by the commitment of our forebears who when they had gathered in Kliptown (not far from where we are meeting tonight) declared, amongst others, that “The doors of learning and culture shall be opened to all”, these compatriots dared the apartheid regime in pursuit of a dream. They dreamt of free, quality education! They dreamt of no children having to travel long distances, barefoot and on an empty stomach in search of education! They dreamt of no children having to be taught under a tree or in a mud classroom!

They dreamt of freedom, democracy and equality and they dreamt of a better life for all! A dream that inspired them to defy detentions, imprisonment, assassinations, banishments and isolation and ridicule by their own people and in pursuit of freedom and democracy.

These patriots loved their people and their country. Hence in the face of trials and tribulations, they soldiered on. I am lowering our revolutionary banner to salute their selflessness. In their honour, I urge all of us to emulate their example of humility, discipline, altruism, moral uprightness and service to the people – attributes and values that have kept COSAS and other components of the liberation movement including the African National Congress (ANC) alive and being leaders of society.

Without making a roll call of all the comrades who perished during the struggle for free education, allow me to honour comrades like Ephraim Mogale – the first President of COSAS, Simphiwe Mthimkhulu and Topsy Mdaka who were brutally murdered by the apartheid security branch, Johnny Masebe, David (Slovo) Diutlwile, Sipho Tshabalala, Emma Sathekge and many more who laid than their lives so as we can enjoy the fruits of freedom. A special tribute to Cde Bongani Kumalo – a comrade, a friend, a brother and fearless combatant with an incisive mind who served as Secretary of COSAS Soweto when I served as Chairperson, who was assassinated in broad daylight by the apartheid security branch. Lalani ngoxolo, Maxabane! May your revolutionary souls continue resting in eternal peace!

May I also salute the “living legends of the student movement”: Cdes Tshediso Matona, Shepi Mati, Whitey Mohapi, Greg Thulare, Lulu Johnson, Jabu Kumalo, Nyamezeli Booi, Baby Tyawa, Matthew Sathekge, Duma Mlambo, (I dare not forget my brother, Archie) and many others who selflessly waged the struggle for People’s Education in our lifetime!

Compatriots, today marks a historic day on the political calendar of our struggle. It is on this day when students from all walks of life; from villages, towns and cities, converged in Wilgespruit to form what was to become torchbearers in adherence and promotion of the Freedom Charter. As we are aware, this political giant, COSAS, was formed against the backdrop of the liberation movement having been banned and its leaders either imprisoned or banished and some of them forced into exile. It was also on the heels of the Students’ Uprisings of 1976 that were met by unparalleled violence of and repression by the apartheid regime. These brutality notwithstanding, gallant students converged to build a political home for those who yearned for free, quality and compulsory education for all.

As they met, those students also understood that their struggles for a People’s Education could not be waged in isolation. Hence, COSAS became the first organization, after the bannings of the 1960s, to openly adopt the Freedom Charter as the guiding light in the struggle against apartheid and for freedom and democracy. This was one of the most defining moment of our struggle.

Their revolutionary perspective also informed them that they were members of the community before they were students. Hence, members of COSAS were found in community structures like civic organisations. For that matter, COSAS members were at the forefront of establishing these mass-based formations. COSAS members were also found in the underground structures of the ANC and in the most forward trenches within the formations and detachments of our People’s Army, uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK). In essence, COSAS became the crucible of young revolutionaries who were politically versatile to be students during the day, community activists after school and combatants during the night. It is therefore not surprising that members of COSAS organized two historic commemorative campaigns - the 1979 hanging of Cde Solomon Mahlangu and the centenary of the people’s victory over the colonial British troops at Isandlwana.

During the 1980s and at the height of resistance against the inhumane apartheid system that was declared a crime against humanity by the United Nations (UN), students especially at high school level were at the forefront of the struggle against Bantu education, particularly and the apartheid regime generally. Due to its militancy and the correctness of its politics, COSAS leadership bore the wrath of the apartheid regime’s repression. Hence, the detention of almost the entire leadership and charging with furthering the aims of the ANC and the South African Communist Party (SACP) of our first president, Cde Ephraim Mogale, who ultimately served time on Robben Island.

COSAS struggles was foremost about People’s Education but not neglecting its revolutionary responsibility of joining the fight against colonialism and apartheid. As the struggle intensified with school boycotts becoming the order of the day, COSAS refocused its strategy to slant more and more towards education-based issues.
Hence in 1984 we made five key demands that were championed at schools and supported by our communities. The demands were:
• The establishment and recognition of Student Representative Councils (SRCs) to replace the discredited prefect system
• The removal of the age limit rule
• An end to corporal punishment
• That teachers stop sexually harassing female students (how sad that this menace is still with us today and we need to fight it relentlessly)
• That the racist and repressive police and army be withdrawn from schools and townships.

It was against this background that students began to mobilize in different townships across the country. We were addressing bread and butter issues whilst involved in the broader struggle for emancipation of blacks in general and Africans in particularly with emphasis placed on African leadership. We understood that we could not achieve our objectives outside of the broader liberation of our people. We also recognized the importance of education, albeit in an oppressive and demeaning environment of the time. Even though there were school boycotts, we assisted one another to catch up on school work – giving a true meaning to COSAS slogan: Each One, Teach One. This also translated to political education to sharpen our revolutionary consciousness. Mrabulo, Maxabane! Hence, it was difficult for the enemy to infiltrate and divide us since we understood the objectives of the National Democratic Revolution and our role in achieving them.

Without fear of any contradictions, student activists generally and COSAS members particularly played a central role in organising resistance to the apartheid regime. We were instrumental in the formation of the United Democratic Front (UDF) and the Congress of Trade Unions (COSATU) amongst, a plethora of mass-based organisations. Hence, COSAS became a key force within UDF structures. Students organised school boycotts, mobilised for campaigns like stay-aways (the famous 1985 strike led by FOSATU, the predecessor of COSATU springs to mind), and provided support for regional and local campaigns. Whilst we were disgusted by COSAS banning during the State of Emergency of 1985, it came as no surprise as students were a thorn in the flesh of the racist regime.

The words of Cde Dr Coleman of the Detainees' Parents Support Committee (DPSC) describing the apartheid state attempts to crush COSAS at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission bears testimony to the potent nature of students’ struggles and the hate that the apartheid fascists harboured against a “mere” student organization and I quote him:
"... I would like to mention the vendetta against COSAS. COSAS, the Congress of South African Students, had a membership of over a million students and became absolutely a focal point in the struggle.
And inevitably they became a target of a bitter vendetta by the apartheid state. And Security Police made a determined bid to detain its leadership and within one month of the declaration of the State of Emergency, on the 21st of July (1985), over 500 of its members were already detained.
And of course those who were detained were being tortured to reveal the names and whereabouts of their colleagues. This was a frequent pattern.
And then very shortly thereafter, on the 26th of August, COSAS was declared an illegal organisation and membership of it was an offence”.

We never cowered even in the face of unprecedented, state-sponsored terror. Hence, in the midst of state violence, student organisations campaigned for the Education Charter - a blueprint for the development of a democratic education to replace the detested Bantu Education system. I need to salute progressive teacher organisations like the National Education Union of South Africa (NEUSA) – the predecessor to SADTU - who joined these struggles. Allow me, Cde Programme Director, at this point to pay tribute to patriotic teachers like Cdes Matthew Goniwe, Fort Calata, Sparrow Mkonto and Sicelo Mhlauli (the ‘Cradock Four’) and many other educators who dedicated and even lost their lives in pursuance of the dream for People’s Education. May their souls rest in peace!

Comrades, it was not easy but we persisted whilst galvanizing the support of parents, workers and the broader community. It is against this backdrop that in September 1985, during the State of Emergency, that Soweto parents formed the Soweto Parents' Crisis Committee that mobilized other parents and teachers across our country to form the National Education Crisis Committee (NECC) in December 1985, as a parent-teacher-student alliance to build education.

By Easter weekend of 1986, the NECC held a conference in Durban where resolutions to achieve short term gains for students and teachers like recognition of SRCs were adopted. It is at this conference, attended by 1 200 delegates, that the IFP, at the behest of their apartheid masters, tried unsuccessfully to disrupt, that the slogan "People's Education for People's Power” was also adopted with the UDF expressing its support for People’s Education. People's Education entail:
• The destruction of the backwardness of the system at the time
• It should be mass based
• It should reach out to all the people of this country, be they young or old, in farms, towns or cities
• Must not serve the interests of the rich
• Be based on the actual experiences of our people
• Uncover the cultural heritage of our people
• Unify the nation and
• Pave the way for people's power.

Whilst students decided to return to school to regroup and rebuild student organisations in the aftermath of heavy repression, the education struggle was to be taken forward through regional and national action campaigns by engaging in rent, consumer, and other boycotts without having to wait for liberation day to introduce some of the elements of People’s Education as delegates understood that community and education struggles could not be separated

It should also not escape our minds that youth formations across the length and breath of our country were due in no small measure to the efforts of COSAS members. These efforts were informed by our theme: “Student-worker action” that agitated for the formation of youth congresses to serve the interests of young workers and unemployed youth. It is against this backdrop that COSAS provided essential support to striking workers and community struggles against transport increases, rent hikes and other issues. The establishment of the South African Youth Congress (SAYCO) was through the untiring efforts of COSAS members with our militancy rubbing off on SAYCO members. Hence, they too could not avoid the wrath of the apartheid state.

Fellow Compatriots, I would be failing in my revolutionary duties if I were to just beat our breast in celebration of the achievements that COSAS realized without reflecting on the debilitating morass that our movement, the ANC, is currently immersed in. My reflections during these celebrations are apt particularly given that one of the guiding principles of COSAS was the view that the ANC was the authentic liberation movement for our people, the leader of South African society and the Parliament of the people. COSAS aimed at conscientising students and the wider community against the repressive nature of education at the time whilst actively participating in the struggle against apartheid and for a democratic society that is based on the will of all the people.
It is common cause that these struggles culminated into a democratic breakthrough of 1994. Significant progress made, notwithstanding, the triple challenges of poverty, joblessness and inequality still persists.
Whilst efforts are being made to turn the situation around, a political environment exist that militates against further progress towards the attainment of the dream of a better life for all our people.

Comrades, our movement, the ANC, is in trouble. Big trouble! It is riddled with factionalism that has paralysed it to the extent of it being unable to lead society. Rather than use the power of persuasion and the superiority of our ideas, some amongst us resort to insults and even violence to advance what they think is the dominant position of the ANC. Who had thought that our stalwarts and veterans will be ridiculed and insulted simply because they are speaking against the wrongs of our movement? Who could have thought that crowds will be rented to “defend the president”? What of the gate-keeping and buying of votes? What of the damning allegations of state capture?

It is within this context that as disciplined members of the ANC and true patriots, we should ask the difficult questions: How did we come to this? What went wrong and what needs to be done to reclaim the soul of our beloved movement?

I am not a fan of the intellectual gymnastics regarding White Monopoly Capital (WMC) versus Guptas raging currently as it serves to deflect the real issues confronting our movement. As revolutionaries, we need to rise above the growing noise/crescendo of the apologists of both WMC and Guptas. We should incisively diagnose the ills that afflicts the ANC with the view to arrive at a prognosis within the context of finding a panacea for curing our movement of all its afflictions. This conversation must be held with the upcoming National Consultative Conference, Policy Conference and Elective Conference in mind. I am raising this point as it serves to inject urgency to our responses.

That in mind therefore, we need to then ask, especially given the gravity of the situation, will these conferences assist in a meaningful way in ridding the ANC of all what is currently wrong about it? In short, does a template that suggest that it is business as usual the one to take us forward? Will it be for the benefit of change or simply entrench the status quo of corruption, arrogance, nepotism, self-centredness and moral decay? Will insisting on holding a policy conference and elective conference be the desperately-needed cure?

Me think not! The challenges facing the ANC are deep-rooted such that we need extra-ordinary measures to surmount them. As we speak, a template that says the ANC Constitution directs that there be a policy and elective conferences is being enforced without acknowledging that circumstances demand otherwise. This is not helpful!
Like in Morogoro and Kabwe (even though there were no elections scheduled then), our movement is on the edge of a cliff and it will depend on what we do, urgently, that will determine whether we tumble over or we drag the ANC back from the abyss.

Comrades, we are at a crossroads! A moment of reckoning! It is either we choose to follow a path to our ultimate demise and this include refusing to convene a proper national consultative conference (NCC) and steadfastly sticking to what I term an administrative timetable of holding a policy conference and an elective conference that will divide us even further and erode the little reputation the ANC still has. Or we can abandon this self-destructive cause and agree on a proper NCC that will be attended by not only members of the ANC but also representatives of mass democratic formations who have historically been our allies. It is against this backdrop that I humbly submit that the National Policy and Elective Conferences must be canned. In short, I am advocating for indefinitely postponing both the national policy and the elective conferences scheduled for this year. Anyway, the NPC has become a ritual that has, lately, not come with anything new and is not about to come with anything ground-breaking. Its standing is diluted more by the decision to combine it with the NCC.

The less said about the elective conference the better. Already, indications are that it will and is already divisive and factions are driven by self-interests.

Rather let us focus all our energies and limited resources on efforts that will bring results. The proposed NCC must be seized with incisively diagnosing the ills bedevelling our movement and then prescribe an appropriate cure. We should emerge from the NCC united behind a common programme to save the ANC and reclaim our country. For it to be a success, the content or focus of the NCC should be, amongst others, having an honest discussion on where we are as the movement and like Morogoro, ensure that we emerge from it with an implementable programme to rebuild the ANC and make it appealing to the electorate. The issues of leadership elections should be informed by the conclusion we arrive at, at the end of an honest introspection exercise.

We should also place our (ANC) constitution under the microscope so as to determine if some of its provisions do not act as a hindrance to the renewal project. In simple terms, the NCC must deal with fundamental issues that has led to where we are today.

My proposal of canning all these nice-to-haves (National Policy and Elective Conferences) is informed by the sad reality that the ANC is in crisis with its structures including the branches either non-existent, moribund, bogus and/or captured.
To then pretend that all is well and we can go to the policy and elective conferences in this state is foolhardy.

We need and have to change cause and the national consultative conference will go a long way to assisting the ANC to find the correct path and this include rediscovering our moral compass.

Compatriots, we need to snap from denialism prevalent within our ranks (worryingly within the leadership corps) as we can ill-afford to miss this slightly open window. The time is now! We need to make a decisive break with our recent past of mediocrity, self-preservation and moral decay. The sacrifices made by the late COSAS members and other patriots who perished because they dreamt of a better life for all cannot be left to amount to naught.

In their memory and in tribute to their contribution to the attainment of freedom and democracy, let us rededicate ourselves to the values that they lived and died for – the values of humility, selflessness, moral uprightness and service to the people.

During this, the “Year of Oliver Reginald Tambo – Let us deepen Unity!”, we have to not only talk about the need for change within the ANC but we must agitate for that change. This is the immediate return to the values that President Tambo lived and died for. That change starts now through to the properly-constituted National Consultative Conference and beyond.

Happy 38th Anniversary!

Amandla!
Maatla!