ANC YOUTH LEAGUE COMMEMORATES THE LIFE OF COMRADE CHRIS HANI

10 April 2012

The ANC Youth League commemorates the life of Comrade Chris Hani, a struggle icon, fearless fighter and dedicated leader of the ANC led National Liberation Movement in South Africa. Comrade Chris Hani was involved in the liberation struggle because he understood that such was the only way to fight against apartheid oppression, repression and racism. Comrade Chris led from the front and was never afraid of the enemy, even when his life was threatened by those opposed to the struggle for National liberation.

Importantly, Comrade Chris had the courage to speak openly about the directionlessness of the liberation struggle, and challenged leadership on what he believed was pure diversion from liberation commitment, morality, and ethics. The convening of the 1st National Consultative Conference in Morogoro in 1969 was amongst others a consequence of the pressure of the generation of Comrade Chris Hani.

For raising his views openly, Comrade Chris was persecuted and almost executed until the intervention of the wisdom of Comrade President Oliver Tambo, who understood that as a young cadre, Comrade Chris had to be moulded and educated into a par excellence Freedom Fighter.

Due to this intervention, Comrade Chris Hani grew and developed in the structures of the movement and the military wing to become a Commissar, Commander, Chief of Staff of Mkhonto WeSizwe and leader of the ANC and South African Communist Party. As General Secretary of the SACP, Comrade Chris never thought of and treated the Communist Party as a faction in the ANC and entire liberation movement, because he never suffered problems of legitimacy as a leader of the ANC.

On the 10th of April 1993, Comrade Chris Hani was cowardly assassinated and died a prominent cadre of the ANC, because those who had an obligation to mould and guide him did so excellently and patiently. Those who had the obligation to mould and guide Comrade Chris never gave up on him and agreed to meet with him and his generation, because they understood and appreciated that the energy, fearlessness and commitment of Comrade Chris as a young cadre of the movement is valuable to the struggle for national liberation. Comrade Chris was never afraid to engage any member of South African society, because he was politically and ideologically sound, and understood the imperialist character of capitalist domination.

Had he lived, Comrade Chris would have been a prominent leader of the ANC, and would have never opposed the struggle for economic freedom in our lifetime. As a defender of the Freedom Charter, Comrade Chris understood that political power without economic emancipation is meaningless. To economic freedom fighters, Comrade Chris was assassinated, but never died because he continues to inspire and agitate all economic freedom fighters to fight with determination, courage and fearlessness.

Statement issued by the ANC Youth League, April 10 2012

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