ANC YOUTH LEAGUE COMMEMORATES AND CELEBRATES THE LIFE OF CHRIS THEMBISILE HANI
THE AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS YOUTH LEAGUE commemorates and celebrates the life of CHRIS THEMBISILE HANI who 18 years ago was cowardly assassinated by right wing reactionary forces, whose intention was to spark a civil war in South Africa. Chris Thembisile Hani was and will forever remain the most outstanding revolutionary, leader of the ANC, genuine Communist Party leader, and Commander of Umkhonto WeSizwe.
Had he lived, Chris Hani would have been a fearless leader of the African National Congress who would not fear imperialists, because he understood that the interests of imperialism do not coincide with those of the National Liberation Movement in South Africa.
Throughout his involvement and participation in the national liberation movement, Chris Hani was fearless and always committed to real liberation of the black majority and Africans in particular.
As a soldier of Umkhonto WeSizwe, Chris Hani was amongst the first to lodge a real and genuine war for the liberation of the people of South Africa. Chris Hani was the most outstanding underground operative who excellently recruited and organised underground operatives of the ANC in South Africa.
It is not a secret that the first Consultative Conference of the ANCIN Morogoro in 1969, which adopted the first Strategy & Tactics was as a result of the Morogoro Memorandum, which was written amongst others by Chris Hani. When he noticed the lacklustre attitude of the ANC leadership to the revolution, he raised concerns not only with fellow fighter, but with the leadership of the ANC and Umkhonto WeSizwe.
Chris Hani was subjected to disciplinary hearing and sentenced to death for speaking out against the lacklustre attitude of some amongst the leadership on what should happen moving forward. Those, whose interests were divergent, misunderstood Chris Hani and wanted to kill him for speaking on what should happen in the movement.
This generation of the ANC Youth League is inspired by the fighting spirit of Chris Hani and will never be fearless in the struggle this phase of national liberation whose mandate is to realise economic freedom in our lifetime. The ANC Youth League will never be intimidated nor suppressed by anything that seeks to undermine the programme towards attainment of all Freedom Charter objectives.
Many of our leaders were assassinated, arrested, tortured and exiled because of the Freedom Charter. Even under the most brutal repression and opposition to the Freedom Charter, the ANC never neglected it, but retained it as the strategic vision and mission of a democratic South Arica.
Inspired by the fighting and fearless spirit of Chris Hani, we will fight tirelessly for economic freedom in our lifetime, which means the total attainment of all freedom charter objectives.
Statement issued by the ANC Youth League, April 10 2011
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