10th April 2023 marks 30th anniversary of Chris Hani's assassination
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- Опубликовано: 13 сен 2024
- South Africa will commemorate the 30th anniversary of the death of anti-apartheid activist Chris Hani on Monday 10th April 2023. Hani was also a former ANC NEC member and the Chief of Staff of its military wing Umkhonto we Sizwe. He was gunned down by a Polish immigrant, Janusz Walus, together with right-winger Clive Derby-Lewis. To mark his passing, his political home, the SACP has called for an inquest into his death. Ntlantla Kgatlhane has more.
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It is now three decades full to the day that our most dearly beloved leader was killed in cold blood on his driveway in Dawnpark. On that fateful Easter Saturday morning, we, who are old enough to remember woke up to those dreadful news of the death of comrade Chris Hani. One can neither quantify nor put into words the level of shock and anger that we felt on that day of death and danger. Indeed, for some of us it was for the first time that we came to grasp and fully understand the meaning of death and what it entailed as we processed and internalized in our young minds of ten years the ghastly reality of what had happened in our country. It took Nelson Mandela's messianic intervention to save the day when he bravely went on national television to coax us to still our justified rage. As we listened, somewhat unintelligibly, to the unscripted English words that flowed out of Nelson Mandela's mouth, we understood, perhaps, only by instinct why he had chosen peace over war. It was a representation of comrade Chris Hani's character and make-up. Hani was a man of peace, who hated unnecessary violence and cruelty but when conflict, perforce, became the position, he fought like a TIGER!!
In the words of another of our beloved leaders, comrade Joe Slovo: "Hani was not a demagogue, Hani did not say things just to get a cheer, he was always sensitive to popular feeling but he never pandered to it and by nature, Chris was the most peaceful, the most humane person."
However, it was the nefarious work of the state-sponsored propagandists, mainly in the racist media outlets, who sought, unsuccessfully, to present our comrade chief-of-staff as a man of violence. But Hani was a soldier who displayed, in the bush, let it be said: UNCOMMON VALOUR and in the boardroom, again let it be said: REAR INTELLECTUAL CAPABILITY. And, so, the racists occupying the Union Buildings were always nervous, NO, FEARFUL of our perfectly disciplined cadre. Having no answers for the "troubles" he gave them, libel and slander became their weapon of choice. This was designed, ofcourse, to sully his name and to besmirch his character. But they failed! They were afraid of the message of truth that Hani carried with him and missed no opportunity to sound - that the bullet kills a white man too! He debunked the false claim and myth of whitened superiority. For truly, superiority had been colour-coded by the racist supremacists. Yet, Hani knew, deep in his entrails what Aime Cesaire had said so long ago: "No race holds a monopoly of beauty; of intelligence; of strength, and there is room for all us at the rendezvous of victory."
Above all, the Pretoria regime feared comrade Chris as a Communist, for he was a true communist who stood for democratic, humane socialism. For them, Chris Hani was the very reincarnation of Joseph Stalin and his red army. But Chris Hani was no Stalin, and perhaps, the best description of this man was given by Slovo once again on the occasion of his funeral: "Comrades, Who was Chris Hani?! Who was this man that stirred such fears in the ranks of the apartheid regime?! Who was this man, so greatly loved, so greatly admired here in our country and not only in our country but all over the world?! Who was he?! He was born in poverty in Cofimvaba, in the Transkei. His father was a migrant worker in the mines, his mother, a simple peasant who had never been to school. These were comrade Hani's roots. For comrade Hani the struggle was not about his personal career, the struggle was for the poorest of the poor. He struggled for the workers; for the shack-dwellers; for the peasants without land; for the children without shoes. It was for the cause of the workers and the poor that comrade Chris took up arms, it is for them that he crossed the Zambezi with Umkhonto Wesizwe to fight in the Wankie campaign in 1967. It was for this cause of the poor that he was the first member of the National Executive Committe of the African National Congress in the 1970's to return to South Africa and operate in the underground. Comrades, Chris Hani always led from the front, he led from the front in Umkhonto Wesizwe; led from the front in the underground, and he led from the front at Bisho last year. Chris was not a headquarters leader, he was a field-commander, not in the military sense. He never expected anyone to do anything that he himself was not prepared to do. And he was a most wonderful combination. Chris was an intellectual but he could speak the language of the poor. Chris knew how to lead but he also knew how to follow the mood of the people. Chris was a REVOLUTIONARY WHO DID NOT CONFUSE REVOLUTION WITH NOISE!!!"
This is what the regime did not understand about this simple man of truth because they were always allergic to the truth.
Even after these thirty years, we continue to honour the memory of our leader; even after these thirty years, we will pay a continuing tribute to our General Secretary; even after these thirty years, we will continue and indeed strengthen our resolve to get to the bottom of who exactly killed our comrade leader. For we believe, it wasn't just the brute who came from Poland and his accomplice, Clive Derby-Lewis. It was surely an internal nexus from within the ANC and possibly the SACP as well that needs to be uncovered, and uncover it we will!
Siyak'khumbula, Mgqunukhwebe! Siyak'khumbula comrade Nobhala!
Ilizwe lakowethu limoshe! Nali ilizwe lakowethu lijikelezwa nguNongqauwuse wesibini... !!!
Viva the memory of Chris Hani Viva! Viva the memory of the greatest fighter for the workers and the poor Viva! Viva South African Communist Party Viva!
Faithful, Intrepid and the Most Noble Protagonist of the Proletariat!
Long Live the Spirit of Chris Hani!
We will never forgive. The enemy must disappear from Africa
What a mindless act.
He was one of the better and most popular leaders.
Just because he was profound, it was not a reason to kill him.
Many in the apartheid regime actually did want him in the negotiations.
Many radical rights did not want any negotiations with Hani present.
Much like Ugene Terebalnch many radical rights were in store but they didnt want him in the New South Africa and he was also a popular leader.
Our true leader
Zondo will never find peace for betraying Chris Hani