CWU RESPONSE ON SINGING OF A SONG ‘DUBULA AMABHUNU BY ANCYL PRESIDENT JULIUS MALEMA
The Communication Workers Union (CWU) is disturbed by the ongoing opportunism and grandstanding by the irritant group - AfriForum and certain reactionary white elements as a result of a revolutionary song sung by African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) President Cde Julius Malema, during a student Rally at the University of Johannesburg, Doornfontein campus.
The equation of the song ‘Dubula amaBhunu' into hate speech or incitation of racial violence is the worse form of political blackmail. For us struggle songs form part of our heritage and tell a tale of what our kitchen mothers and garden boy fathers went through under apartheid. Revolutionary songs continue to keep the fire going in the community struggles of Balfour, Diepsloot and students in lecture halls fighting for free education and abolishment of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction at University of Free State.
Liberation songs continue to be sung and inspire our people in the many ongoing class struggles to deepen our struggle for a better life for all, radical and faster delivery of services, and are sung in many of our commemorative and celebratory occasions in honour of our struggle heroes and those who paid the supreme price for us to be free.
These songs like ‘Uthi sixolele kanjani, amaBhunu abulala uChris Hani', ‘uMshin Wam', ‘Ilenja uBotha, kanye nalenja uMalan', are part of the collective memory of our struggle, part of the collective culture of that struggle, and they continue to play an important mobilisational tool role in the ongoing worker and community struggles. Those who are opposed to the song should be reminded of the profound statement by the late President of the ANC Cde Oliver Tambo ‘a country that forgets its history is doomed to repeat it'.
As CWU, we call on AfriForum and other like-minded disgruntled individuals to drop their hate speech charge on the song by ANC YL President Malema. The focus and debate should be centred on whether ‘Die Stem' is still relevant to be part of our National Anthem given its originality and the role it played for allegiance during the apartheid days.
Statement issued by Matankana Mothapo Communication Workers Union National Spokesperson, March 17 2010
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