Issue 8, Vol 10: 11 April 2013 In this issue:
Preserve their legacy Issue 8, Vol 10: 11 April 2013Preserve their legacy YCLSA pledges to be like him, to keep his legacy and encourage the 'born-frees' to continue to fight for the freedoms that he fought for, some of which are still yet to be seen. There are monuments built in his name and others named after him, such as one of the biggest hospital on the continent and - if his family and the South African Communist Party have their way - Cape Town International Airport will be graced with his statue and name. But, as we do so, is this enough? The centre of Maputo is graced with the statue of Samora Machel, their hero and liberator. But when I asked our Portuguese interpreter to ask a homeless man leaning on Machel's statue if he knew who this person was, he grudgingly replied with a "yes". He then asked what was the use of him knowing who Machel was if he (the homeless man) still begged for food, shelter and dignity. The statue of Lenin fell in Belarus in the 1990s when Mikhail Gorbachev proclaimed glasnost (killing a 21-year-old man in the process). This was because Lenin not only symbolised the collective prosperity that the Soviet Union was, but also symbolised those who succeeded him, who killed and maimed in his name. So, as we build monuments for people like Hani, who fought and sacrificed their lives for our freedom, we should not forget that our people want more than statues. Young people like me never met Hani. We have a sentimental attachment to the historical figure that our parents narrated to us. As the generation of Hani passes on, will they have, as BB King instructed, see that their graves are kept clean? Or will we witness the proverbial fall of these monuments because those who came after them represented deeper poverty levels, inequality and unemployment in the name of Chris Hani? This question is not only intended for the government or politicians. It is also intended for "leaders" in business who prospered because of democracy, and kept those profits in their pockets instead of helping to build a better society. The older generation will defend ANC rule because they hold dear the basic freedoms that were brought by the struggles and blood of Hani and his comrades. But what of our generation, the proverbial "born-frees"? Will we keep the grave and monument of Comrade Chris clean or will we piss on it because his friends and comrades created a social, political and economic distance between themselves and the people? Will we remember him in a pool of blood from the bullet of one Janusz Walus or will we be preoccupied with the very same socio-economic conditions that Comrade Chris wanted to end? In essence, what should revolutionaries like Hani and Nelson Mandela mean to the current and future generations? We are grateful that racial barriers have been broken and that, ideal or real, we are supposed to be a rainbow nation. We are supposed to attend the same schools and universities, night clubs or restaurants. Sometimes there are minor racial glitches, such as the survey published by the University of Cape Town's newsletter, Varsity, about the perceived attractiveness of the various races. But overall, we forget our national depression and listen to a whitey singing kwaito or a darkie playing cello. This is what Hani fought for. These are the fruits of his blood after all. But we forget that we are a long way from Comrade Chris's injunction that freedom is about health for the sick, education for the illiterate, shelter for the homeless and food for the hungry. We are gradually taking a leap from a racialised society into an economically divided, barbaric capitalist society that has resulted in poverty, unemployment and inequality. As the current generation we are confronted with new challenges and sing different battle cries. We cannot forever defend the legacy of Hani and Mandela if these do not meet the needs of our time. The theme adopted by the Young Communist League in commemoration of Hani's death is: "We want to be like Chris". We may never join uMkhonto weSizwe and fight against apartheid. We will never be slain in front of our house by a schizophrenic white racist. But we will be like Comrade Hani. We will fight for socialism as the ultimate liberation of society from the failures of capitalism. We will demand economic equality and equal redistribution of the wealth of our country until it is done. We will use the freedoms that Hani won for us to win more freedoms for future generations. There is a saying that "you should be nice to your children for they are the ones who will choose your retirement home". It is time for the generation of Hani to remember this saying. Manamela is the national secretary of the Young Communist League of SA and a member of Parliament. 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