Eulogy by His Excellency President Jacob Zuma at the funeral of former Deputy Minister Joseph "Joe" Matthews at the St George's Cathedral, Cape Town, August 28 2010

Your Grace, the Archbishop of Cape Town
The Matthews Family,
Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe,
Speaker of the National Assembly,
Former Deputy President Baleka Mbete
Ministers and Deputy Ministers,
Honourable Dr Mangosuthu, Buthelezi, President of the IFP, and longstanding friend and colleague of Comrade Joe Matthews,
Leaders of other political parties,
Distinguished Guests,
Fellow South Africans,

I greet you all at this solemn occasion of bidding farewell to Vincent Joseph Matthews, the former Deputy Minister of Safety and Security and a stalwart of our struggle.

We join many in this country to extend our condolences to the Matthews family for this loss of their loved one.

Elders say an apple does not fall too far away from the tree. It is therefore not surprising that this son of the great ANC leader, Professor ZK Matthews, possessed equally impressive attributes.

This accomplished writer, legal practitioner, intellectual and freedom fighter - played a major role in shaping progressive intellectual thought during the 1950s, 60s and other periods during the struggle.

Today we pay tribute to his intellectual prowess, which provides lessons of what intellectuals can and should do, to shape history and influence the direction of major events in society.

There are many examples of his sterling contribution to our history. As a member of the South African Communist Party, Mr Matthews helped to draw up the party's landmark document, The Road to Freedom in South Africa, in 1962.

This was followed by his key role in drawing up the ANC's first Strategy and Tactics document at the organisation's definitive Morogoro conference in 1969.
This definitive text has been revised and updated at every ANC conference since then. Mr Matthews also contributed to the discussions that led to the concept "colonialism of a special type."

He also wrote numerous articles analysing oppression in South Africa and providing solutions. In 1966, he became the first editor of the ANC journal Sechaba.

His sharp legal mind was recognised by the Batswana people so much that he was made an attorney-general in that country. He performed this task with distinction and dignity.

Compatriots,

From this stalwart we therefore have learned that intellectuals must not isolate themselves from society and from the quest for a better life for all.

We must through him, welcome the role of both organic and academic intellectuals in our society. They must never fear to participate constructively in charting the direction of our country.
Through our intellectuals, we can be able to develop ideas of how to improve services to our people, and even how to better conceptualise solutions to challenges that face our country.

When he returned to South Africa from exile after the unbanning of the organisation, he got in touch with his comrades in the ANC.

I remember that he was very keen to attend the 1991 conference of the ANC in Durban but ended up not attending due to circumstances that were beyond his control.

He was later to join another political home. During the CODESA negotiations he was asked by the Inkatha Freedom Party to become one of its legal advisers.

He consulted senior ANC leaders on this matter and the organisation did not have a difficulty with him becoming an IFP legal adviser.

Fellow South Africans,
Ladies and gentlemen,

This solemn occasion also provides an opportunity for us to pay tribute to the entire Matthews family - from Prof ZK Matthews to the generation of Ms Naledi Pandor, our Minister of Science and Technology who is following in the footsteps of her father and grandfather, by dedicating her life to the service of the nation.

Prof ZK Matthews was the first person to articulate the idea of a Congress of the People. Addressing an ANC provincial conference in the Cape Province, he said that congress should adopt a "Charter of the people".

From that seed, was born that historic document, the Freedom Charter, which proclaimed for the world to know that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black and white.

It is a profound vision that has guided our country for many decades, and whose ideals found their way into the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa.

It is a vision that Joe Matthews and his family have dedicated their lives towards realising.

It is constant reminder of the values and principles that bind this nation together.

In the memory of Joe Matthews, let us keep alive the vision of the Freedom Charter.

Let us continue the struggle for a better South Africa, which he fought for so dearly. We also need to promote unity in our country, another value his father ZK Matthews promoted when he introduced the idea of a Charter of the People.

Mr Matthews practiced unity. We can attribute the amicable relations between the ANC and the IFP to leaders such as Mr Matthews, who understood both organisations and were always able to promote peace and understanding.

In addition, the President of the IFP, Inkosi Mangosuthu Buthelezi, who is one of the foremost elder statesmen in our country, is also a former member of the ANC Youth League and understands the organisation very well.

This assists us to find one another and to be able to manage whatever challenges arise, in the interests of the country.

In his memory let us promote unity amongst all South Africans.

Fellow South Africans,

Let me urge you on this day when we bid our father and stalwart farewell, to promote the achievement of our apex priority, education.

His love for education and teaching was apparent to all. This trait runs in the family to this day.

It is impressive that even while subjected to a banning order, Mr Matthews managed to complete his law degree through the University of London, from which he later also obtained a Master's degree.

We should relay such stories to our youth, so that they can feel motivated to study and emulate such national heroes.

We mentioned recently that there are 200 000 children in the ages of seven to 15 who are not attending school. Some of them are on the farms here in the Western Cape Province.

We have to find them and ensure that they get an education. We made this commitment during the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup, that we would ensure access to education for all our children.

Ladies and gentlemen,
Fellow South Africans,

Mr Matthews was a humble, respectful and dignified leader.

This attribute of humility and self-lessness can be found in his generation, from Nelson Mandela to Govan Mbeki, Walter Sisulu, Ahmed Kathrada and a host of others.

This generation represents certain values that define us as a people - bravery, honesty, respect, inclusiveness, open debate and patriotism.

Through Mr Joe Matthews, we salute this generation of self-less South Africans.

Compatriots,

This veteran of our struggle is being laid to rest in the midst of disruptions as a result of the public sector strikes.

In his memory we would like to underscore our firm belief in the right of all South Africans and workers to freedom of association, and to participate in the programmes and activities of trade unions of their choice.

Great strides have been made in this country to promote and entrench and promote worker rights.

As government, we will always defend these rights, more so because workers are the vanguard of the struggle for the improvement in the quality of life of all South Africans.

We fully understand the frustrations caused by the legacy of low salaries and slow progression for some categories of workers, which is something that the democratic government has been gradually addressing since 1994.

We also respect the right of workers to go on strike in support of their demands.

However, we reiterate that protest actions should be undertaken within the ambit of the law and basic human decency.

The actions of workers should also not deviate from our collective commitment - as both government and public servants - to be a caring government and a caring society.

The abandonment of patients, including babies in incubators, as well as school children, is difficult to comprehend and accept, no matter how sympathetic one is to the needs of workers.

We are confident that negotiators on both sides will find a solution soon, and help the country to get out of this unpleasant situation as quickly as possible.

At the end of the day, we all have to put the interests of the country and South Africans first.

We are always able to find solutions to our problems as a people.

And before I conclude, I would like to draw your attention to some of the basic principles of the organisation which Joe Matthews lived by.

An individual must always respect and obey the collective decisions.

Secondly, the minority should accept that the majority prevails.

Thirdly, juniors must obey their seniors all the time.

The entire organisation must respect and abide by the decisions of the leadership committees, be it NEC or CEC.

Lastly, Joe Matthews believed the executive must always respect the membership of the organisation.

Fellow South Africans,

Ladies and gentlemen,

On behalf of Government and the people of South Africa, let me reiterate our heartfelt condolences to the family of our leader and stalwart, Comrade Joe Matthews.

We should celebrate his life well, by working harder together, to build a society founded on the values of unity, respect and the promotion of human dignity and ubuntu.

The Matthews family should take comfort in the fact that he has left behind that will live on for generations to come.

Robala ka kgotso Comrade Joe!
May his soul rest in peace.

I thank you.

Issued by The Presidency, August 28 2010

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