African Christian Democratic Party:

Professor Asmal was a man of principle, great intellect and a true champion of human rights

ACDP President Rev. Kenneth Meshoe MP said today:

"The ACDP received the news of the death of Professor Kadar Asmal with shock and sadness. He was a fighter for freedom and justice to the very end.

When Professor Asmal retired from politics in 2008, the ACDP honoured him for being a truly authentic person, courageous when it came to his convictions, a risk taker and certainly controversial. The ACDP appreciates the contribution he made toward the realisation of a South Africa free of many of the injustices of the past, and for this we are grateful.

Professor Asmal's willingness to speak out and tell the truth as he perceived it, regardless of the consequences, placed him head and shoulders above many in this arena. He did not mince his words and he did not even hesitate to break ANC tradition by raising his concerns outside party structures.

This fearless fighter for human rights and guardian of democratic principles even urged South Africans to reject the controversial Protection of Information Bill and warned his own political party not to rush the bill through Parliament.

He attributed his most formative life factor as his 27 years in Ireland where he went in 1963, as a South African exile. We are grateful to him for speaking out and caring for his fellow Africans in  Zimbabwe, we thank him too for speaking out on behalf of refugees and immigrants in South Africa who face great hardship... his courage was touching and inspirational.

On a legal level he made an immense contribution to the writing of our South African Constitution and as a result, millions of women who used to walk miles to a river every day are grateful to him for having accessed water to ten million South Africans within 50 metres of their homes; a formidable achievement. It was also Professor Asmal who pushed hard for the word ‘non-sexism' to be included as one of the founding principles of the constitution.

The ACDP extends sincere condolences to his wife, Louise, his sons and grandchildren, to his family and friends, to his colleagues in the African National Congress, and the communities he served.

Our nation has lost a man of great intellect, principle and personal convictions, whose contribution to our constitutional democracy will be cherished forever."

Issued by the ACDP, June 23 2011

ANC Women's League:

ANCWL FEELS A DEEP SENSE OF LOSS AFTER THE DEATH OF ANC STALWART, COMRADE KADER ASMAL

The ANC Women's League (ANCWL)has felt a deep sense of loss on learning of the untimely death of ANC stalwart, Comrade Kader Asmal, a life-long ANC member who has served the movement and the country in various capacities with distinction.

"More saddening is the fact that Comrade Kader has left our shores when tears are still fresh in our eyes, when we are still battling to come to terms with the passing on of ANC veteran and struggle Icon, Mama Sisulu", said ANCWL President Angie Motshekga. She added: "Comrade Kader was one of the cadres of the ANC who stood for the total emancipation of women. He also played a big role in drafting the ANC Women's League constitution before the unbanning of the ANC liberation movement."

Our heartfelt sympathy is extended to his family, which will in this hour of need, be in our prayers and those of the nation he served bravely as a leader, a Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry (from 1994) and Education (from 1999), a vibrant parliamentarian and a daring champion of constitutional democracy.

Most of all, we will miss his role in the creation of a better life for all our people and his engagement in the political public discourse in South Africa, just as a seasoned former teacher and Education Minister would have done.

The death of Professor Kader Asmal, who has been a member of the ANC's National Executive Committee for years, and has served in other important capacities,is a great loss to the organisation and the nation.

Issued by ANCWL, June 23 2011

Congress of the People:

COPE pays tribute to Kader Asmal

Today, the Congress of the People joins with all South Africans in bidding farewell to Kader Asmal, one of the greatest South African activists for social, environmental and economic justice.

Kader was a man of principle, as evidenced by his public objection to the injustices of Robert Mugabe's regime, and his principled position on issues such as HIV and AIDS denialism, as well as on the governments intended legislation on secrecy and information. It is fitting that he lived long enough to be vindicated in his principled protest against the disbanding of the Scorpions by the Constitutional Court, which ruled that such a move by President Jacob Zuma is unconstitutional.

Kader Asmal's role in the fight against Apartheid was immeasurable. He co-founded the British Anti Apartheid Movement and the Irish Anti Apartheid Movement, organisations that raised the profile of the struggle against apartheid internationally. After he returned from exile in 1990, he was one of the most important negotiators in ensuring a peaceful transition from minority rule to democracy. He also played a significant role in drafting the constitution that we have.

Kader Asmal's intellectual capacity was matched only by his passion for social and environmental justice. As Minister for Water Affairs and Forestry, he was a visionary as far as conservation initiatives is concerned. He became a world authority on matters of conservation and environmental justice. Similarly, when he became Minister of Education, his programmes were equally innovative, as he made sure that the lessons of our divisive past would never be forgotten, and that future generations may learn from it.

He was a courageous man. After a life lived for the benefit of others before himself, he can be laid to rest with the deep appreciation by all South Africans for his lifes work. Hamba Kahle, Comrade Kader Asmal.

Issued by Phillip Dexter, COPE head of communications, June 23 2011

Congress of South African Trade Unions:

COSATU pays tribute to Kader Asmal

The Congress of South African Trade Unions is shocked and deeply saddened by the passing of Comrade Kader Asmal and sends its condolences to his family, friends and thousands of comrades in the national liberation movement.

Comrade Asmal was one of the finest leaders South Africa has produced - a profound thinker and intellectual but also a dogged fighter for the values of the revolutionary movement.

In his years of exile, in his years serving in the ANC government, and to the very last days of his life, he spoke out with passion and conviction about the important challenges we face, and always fearlessly spoke the truth and defended his deeply held convictions.

As his years as a government minister proved, he was not an armchair intellectual, but a comrade who was ready to get his hands dirty grappling with the formidable and complex challenges facing the democratic government in a range of fields, from education to water affairs and the constitution.

Comrade Asmal was from the generation of ANC leaders who lived only to serve the movement and the people of South Africa and never sought to advance his own interests. We must honour his memory by aspiring to live by the very high standards he set for himself and his comrades. COSATU dips its banners in tribute to a great revolutionary fighter.

Issued by Patrick Craven, COSATU national spokesperson, June 23 2011

Former President FW de Klerk:

STATEMENT BY F W DE KLERK ON THE DEATH OF PROF KADER ASMAL

I have learned with great sorrow of the death of Prof Kader Asmal. He was a life-long campaigner for freedom. He was one of our new democracy's founding fathers - and was present at its birth. He lent colour, humour and intelligence to our political debate. Almost to the moment of his death he remained a fearless champion of the democratic values that underlie our Constitution. South Africa will miss him.

I should like to convey my and Elita's sincere condolences - and those of the F W de Klerk Foundation - to his family and friends.

Issued by the FW de Klerk Foundation, June 22 2011

ID President Patricia de Lille:

SUBJECT: [ID] PATRICIA DE LILLE EXTENDS CONDOLENCES TO THE FAMILY OF THE LATE KADER ASMAL

ID President Patricia De Lille extends her heartfelt condolences on the sudden and tragic loss of freedom struggle icon, Kader Asmal.

Kader Asmal was a fearless fighter for freedom and human rights. Up until the last week of his life, he had been fighting for the rights of South Africans.

Just a few days ago he encouraged South Africans to stand firm against Government's proposed Protection of Information Bill.

"His sudden passing away is really a huge loss to South Africa and we are saddened that his independent voice will no longer be heard.

"On behalf of the Independent Democrats, I extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and wish them strength and courage during the days ahead," Ms De Lille says.

Issued by the ID, June 22 2011

YCL national secretary Buti Manamela:

Tribute by Buti Manamela, YCL National Secretary, to Prof. Kader Asmal

Yesterday evening, one of the renowned politician and human rights activist, Prof. Kader Asmal, departed this mortal earth after suffering from a heart attack the day before. This is a loss to the family and South Africa in general, and also to his comrades. Prof. Asmal was one of the most outspoken political leaders of our time, and remained the compass for our revolutionary morality.

He remained a vigilant activist against the rot of corruption that seeks to devour our movement and society. He was an utmost critic against false leadership and opportunism. Although, like all of us, he was fallible, he was always guided by the torch that was lit by the founders of the ANC and the entire liberation movement. His fallibility, seen in his resignation from cabinet and parliament when the Scorpions were outlawed, for instance, refusing to succumb to the will of the collective; was hailed as principle.

Of course one can never chose what is principled and what is not especially when such determination are sometimes blurred by objective and subjective factors.

I met Prof. Kader Asmal as a young and energetic 19 year old student representative in the National Advisory Board for Further Education and Training (NBFET) and as Deputy President of the South African Students Congress (SASCO).

I have already heard of this short timer who was a chain-smoker, rough voiced, straight faced, intimidating force and an academic par excellence and a man of action. I have read some of his articles and documents, and knew his involvement in the ANC internal constitutional drafting and disciplinary processes, which made him the more intimidating.

We quickly nicknamed him Papa Action due to the manner in which he wanted to approach education transformation and the need to be hands on by all structures.

He spoke of ‘visible democratic victories' for the education system, and emphasised that our people needed to not only visualise, but feel the changes in the education system.

Over time, we began to scorn all of these as short-cut and half-baked solutions which were not sustainable. At the time, in the leadership of SASCO, and as the President of the South African Students Congress, we opposed the merger of both universities and Technical Colleges.

However, this was a fight Prof. Asmal was determined to win, and he did. Not through the intimidating features of an academic authority. Not through the dictatorship of the Professorial title, but, through genuine engagements. He knew that there were, at the time, limits to our resistance and parameters to what we knew. He expected us to resort to mass action, which we did. But through late night engagements with the student movement-and the exhausted energies of marching to 123 Schoemann Street, the mergers took place.

When Minister Blade Nzimande, himself a former Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee of Higher Education, announced last week that one of the mergers, University of Limpopo and Medunsa, will be reversed because it is not workable, I somewhat celebrated.

But what we learned from those engagements was political and ideological tolerance, stretching the limits of our thinking and ensuring that we support our arguments with evidence and facts.

In his usual self, even after he resigned from parliament and cabinet in 2007, Prof. Asmal refused to bow out of the political theatre and from the national discourse. Although we have differed with many of his views even then, he has forever remained the voice that shaked our conscience and reminded us of some of the significant virtues and traditions of our movement.

As we bow our heads in your memory, note that a greater farewell can only come from bettering the lives of our people, ensuring that the constitution, even if changed, will be for the betterment of our society and that forever, human right as contained in our constitution and other international declarations, will forever remain as part of the broader anti-capitalist struggles.

As young communists, we will forever keep your name and memory in the hall of fame of revolutionaries who were never ‘anti-communists', but just ‘non-communist'. As we marshal all our forces and energies for a socialist future, your name shall  remain amongst the many who made it possible for communists, like all other political ideologies, to enjoy the same legal right and to agitate for the kind of society they seek to build without subtle political or open legal threats.

Robala ka Kgotso

Issued by YCL, June 23 2011

NEHAWU:

NEHAWU MOURNS THE DEATH OF PROF KADER ASMAL

NEHAWU is saddened by the news of the sudden passing away, yesterday in a Western Cape hospital, of ANC veteran and struggle stalwart Prof Kader Asmal.  We send our deepest and heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and comrades.

Prof Kader Asmal, as a law professor was an intellectual who served as Minister of Water Affairs and Education.  He was bold and forthright about transformation in both portfolios.  He is part of a group of ANC comrades who served the ANC in exile and served in the first democratic parliament of the country.  

In the recent past he saw his main task as that of a public intellectual who robustly engaged with areas of change in policy and service delivery.  Never shying away from controversy he often challenged his own party and demanded in the public discourse that they stay true to their principles and mandates.

As NEHAWU, we respected him and the generation he represented.  Selfless activist of the movement who sacrificed their personal lives for the struggle for a democratic state.

Our thoughts are with his family who shared him with the movement.  We salute you Comrade Kader.  May you rest in peace.

Hamba Khale!

Issued by NEHAWU Secretariat Office, June 23 2011

Right2Know:

The best way to honour Asmal is to scrap the Secrecy Bill

The Right2Know campaign is saddened by the death of Kader Asmal, and wishes to express its condolences to Asmal's family, friends and those who worked alongside him during South Africa's struggle for liberation.

We recognise the immensely important role that Asmal played in drafting the Constitution, and his championing of these values through his efforts to promote integrity in public life, and his role as longstanding chair of the Parliamentary ethics committee.

It is prescient that one of Asmal's final contributions to defending and advancing democratic values was to speak out against the Protection of Information Bill. In June 2011 Asmal publically called for the people of South Africa to reject the ‘Secrecy Bill' outright, for the Bill to be withdrawn entirely and rewritten with an emphasis on the rights of access to information and freedom of expression.

The Right2Know campaign calls on civil society to continue the spirit of Asmal's work, in organising, activating and mobilising communities against the Secrecy Bill which threatens to erode these ideals, and undermine the ongoing struggle for social justice. Now is not only a time to mourn the passing of one leader who did much to advance South Africa's democracy; it is also a time to honour that legacy through our own words and deeds. 

The best way to honour Asmal is to scrap the Secrecy Bill!

Kader Asmal's call for South Africans to reject the Secrecy Bill can be read at www.r2k.org.za.

Issued by Right2Know, June 23 2011

South African Municipal Workers' Union:

We dip our revolutionary flag in honour of Comrade Kader Asmal

SAMWU mourns the passing of Comrade Kader Asmal who devoted his entire conscious life to the cause of democracy. Coming from a poor but loving family in KZN, he understood how important it was to gain an education, and to use that education for the betterment of all.

His involvement in the anti-apartheid movement in Ireland, and in the UK while in exile was legendary. He practised law and taught it with great flair and won ground-breaking judgements against the Apartheid Regime. He was much loved on those shores, and made many lifelong friends who would not let a visit to South Africa go by without calling upon their mentor and comrade.

He remained a sharp intellectual and refused to be pigeonholed. He understood the necessity for critical thinking, and the dangers of dogmatism.

We dip our revolutionary flag in honour of a comrade who provided a wonderful example to the generations that will follow. We hope others will take up the baton for intellectual honesty and rigorous enquiry in his honour.

We send our deepest condolences to the Asmal family and all those close to them, and hope that when their grief subsides they will also join with the entire working class in celebrating the passing of a remarkable person. A small giant amongst us has passed, but is deeply honoured and fondly remembered.

Issued by SAMWU, June 23 2011

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