Former President Thabo Mbeki has paid tribute to the late struggle stalwart Walter Sisulu. Speaking at the Walter Sisulu University on the 66th anniversary of the signing of the Freedom Charter, Mbeki has described Sisulu as a true revolutionary.
#sabcnews Fmr Pres. Mbeki says Walter Sisulu was a true revolutionary who would never betray his comrades and said he would go to the gallows singing to give inspiration to others in the struggle. Mbeki speaks at Walter Sisulu University
— Busi Chimombe (@BusiBopela) June 26, 2021
The renewal of the African National Congress (ANC) and the transformation of South Africa’s society were the two themes that dominated former President Thabo Mbeki’s lecture on the 66th anniversary of the Freedom Charter.
Former President Thabo Mbeki delivers Walter Sisulu Memorial Lecture:
Under the banner of the Congress of the People in Kliptown, Soweto, thousands of people signed the Charter which was a vision for a democratic, united and non-racial South Africa.
Sisulu played a key role in the campaign towards its signing and was a delegate at the 1955 event.
Lindiwe Sisulu: The Freedom charter can never be separated from the people who gave rise to it. #sabcnews pic.twitter.com/u0dXuaa6U2
— Natasha Nokuthula Phiri (@NatashaN_Phiri) June 26, 2021
Today’s lecture was organised by the Walter Sisulu University Convocation to celebrate the life of the struggle stalwart. Spokesperson for the University’s Convocation, Simthandile Ford says they are not only celebrating the life of Walter Sisulu but also of the people who were in Kliptown in 1955.
“Today is a day that we feel we are not just celebrating just a life that contributed to the democratic society, but we are also celebrating the people that were in Kliptown in 1955 to go and shape the vision of the society that they wanted to see. The university is also taking a new shape as it takes itself into a position of becoming an African university that seeks to pursue excellence in its programs.”
History of Freedom Charter:
Socio-economic challenges
The former President has questioned if the country’s institutions of higher learning are up to the task of producing people who can solve South Africa’s socio-economic challenges. He has painted a bleak picture of the economy, referring to Eskom as a ticking time bomb and highlighting the decay in other SOEs and the ten percent in state revenue lost to corruption.
Mbeki says capable individuals are required to turn things around. “Our society including its political formations will have to generate within its ranks the cadre who would also have the mastery of the complex strategy and tactics which must result in the successful eradication of the legacy of colonialism and apartheid and therefore our country’s fundamental socio-economic transformation I think it is obvious that if we fail to develop this cadre we will not accomplish the fundamental transformation that our country desperately needs”
ANC leadership
Mbeki says the African National Congress took a resolution to renew itself at its National Conference in December 2017 because it acknowledged the corruption, factionalism and distance from the people that were causing it to lose support. He however says the ANC National Executive Committee’s progress in this regard is dismal.
“The ANC NEC has done nothing both to honour the 2017 National Conference directive and its own 2021 commitment obviously and naturally the question arises is the ANC NEC willing and able to discharge its responsibilities with regard to the absolute and urgent priority of the renewal of the ANC I pose this question during this lecture because this is not a matter of concern only to the ANC and its members, the ANC remains the dominant political formation in this country and is likely to sustain its position for the foreseeable future”
He adds that the ANC’s leadership must not be found wanting, in dealing with the negative issues plaguing the party.
The “step aside” rule which has resulted in ANC Secretary General Ace Magashule’s suspension by the party forms part of efforts by the party to renew itself.
Sisulu’s contribution to struggle
Former President Mbeki reminds those in attendance at the lecture of Walter Sisulu’s contribution to the struggle, which the latter emphasised was not about the vote but about improving people’s lives.
He says Sisulu, who died in May 2003, must serve as a reminder of what a true revolutionary is – one that never betrays his comrades or his country.
