By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI
South Africans continue to celebrate and commemorate the life of the slain South African Communist Party (SACP) General Secretary, Chris Hani. On 10 April 1993, the Eastern Cape-born politician was assassinated by an anti-Communist Polish refugee, Januzs Walusas who had close links to the White nationalist AWB after he returned home to the racially mixed suburb of Dawn Park, in Boksburg.
South African National Congress (SANCO) chairperson in North West, Paul Sebegoe described Hani as a courageous and finest internationalist. Sebegoe said Hani was a ‘defender of the poor, the downtrodden and marginalised.’
“Not even time can demolish the monument that Hani had built-in our people’s heart and engraved in their minds as a champion of their struggles because he was a special cadre that stood for unity and collectivism.
“The bullets that killed him did not just kill one of the finest and courageous, but they robbed South Africa, Africa and the world of an internationalist, defender of the poor, the downtrodden and marginalised, a revolutionary and a statesman,” he said.
He further said the killer robbed South Africa the culture of service, selflessness, humility, principled leadership, and integrity that Hani embodied. Sebegoe added that the people believed in Hani not only because he was a fearless warrior, but because they knew that he would not betray their course, or put his personal interests above theirs.
“Greed as well as the corruption that sponsored state capture and eroded confidence in public institutions would have met a formidable opponent in him, he maintained. He would be among those calling for accountability and the protection of our constitutional democracy and not threatening the country’s stability when they must account because he knew too well, the cost of war.
“Now more than ever before, the ANC, as well as the revolutionary alliance including the mass democratic organisations, are yearning for leaders of Hani’s calibre,” said Sebegoe.
He said the ANC and its alliance owe it to Hani’s memory to ensure that the landless and homeless have access to productive land and decent housing. Sebegoe said the ANC must ensure that radical socio-economic transformation brings the youth and rural women into the mainstream of the economy.
“We need to ensure that the post-COVID-19 economic interventions mitigate against grinding poverty, rising unemployment and widening inequality,” he concluded.
According to www.sahistory.org.za Hani was exposed to Marxist ideology, while a student at the University of Fort Hare, where he also explored his childhood passion for the classics and for literature. Hani attended Fort Hare from 1959-1961 and graduated in 1962 from Rhodes University in Grahamstown, with a BA degree in Latin and English.
He then moved to Cape Town and worked as an article clerk with the Schaeffer and Schaeffer legal firm from 1962-1963, but did not complete his articles.
Hani was exposed to political thought from a very young age through his father, Gilbert Hani, who was active in the ANC and eventually left South Africa and sought asylum in Lesotho. However, Hani’s political involvement really began in 1957 when he became a member of the African National Congress’ Youth League (ANCYL).
He cites the conviction of the ANC’s leaders in the Treason Trial (1956) as his main motivation to begin participating in the struggle for freedom. While at Fort Hare, Hani’s political ideas developed even further. Hani provided greater detail of his time at the university.
For additional reporting, go to www.sahistory.org.za
The Guardian 