OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT OF FIDEL CASTRO TO RECEIVE THE THIRD UBUNTU HONOUR

Africa is blessed with selfless individuals who have contributed to humankind beyond boundaries of human limits. Some have had global influence on bringing about human dignity to many. These men and women deserve the appreciation for their sacrifices and unpopular decisions that they have to take in defence of humanitarian ideologies. A simple explanation for this personality and social consciousness is captured in one South African word that exists in all the South African indigenous languages and cultures but is popularly referred to as "Ubuntu". This, when it is often illusively translated into English, would mean "a concept that is practiced by people basing their inter-dependent mutual relations on a principle of a person is a person because of others".

Today, we announce the third recipient of the Ubuntu Award as the Honourable, Fidel Castro, the recently retired President of Cuba, who accepted the offer to receive this gesture of appreciation and high esteem recognition from the National Heritage Council of South Africa (NHC).

The Ubuntu Award is honouring persons who have consistently lived the humanitarian values of the African philosophy of Ubuntu. The first and second awards of this campaign that revive values of humanity were received by Nelson Mandela and Kenneth Kaunda in 2006 and 2007 respectively.

The life of Cde Fidel Castro, the 72 year old veteran and compatriot of Africa's liberation, was until February 2008 the President of Socialist Republic of Cuba and commander of the Armed Forces of the Cuban Revolution. The National Heritage Council Honours him for the role he played in the Cuban revolution and worldwide contribution to the struggle for an alternative, just and human society.

Today we wish to highlight some of the most important areas through which his life has touched many people, more especially people in South Africa who suffered during the apartheid era. The patriots of Cuba under the sterling leadership of Fidel Castro sacrificed their lives and shared their blood for fighting colonialism for the liberation of the countries of Africa. In his speech in Harlem, he highlighted that one of the most awful systems of discrimination still exists here in South Africa and one day it will come to an end.

For Fidel Castro to create a damaging scar on apartheid and racism in South Africa, he sent Cuba's best military divisions, pilots and aircraft to prevent the SAN troops from acting. Cuban troops were sent to Angola and all of them were on a voluntary basis. Together with the Angolan troops, they stopped the South African troops in their tracks. The implementation of Resolution 435 was to put an end to apartheid. Also when the Namibians and Angolans needed help, only Cuba succeeded in what most of the world's critiques thought Cuba was interested in the natural mineral resources of the countries but Castro and Cuba were helping in the true spirit of Ubuntu with no expected reward.

The victory of the Cubans in Namibia inspired the entire continent. This latter victory was described by the late President of the ANC, OR Tambo, as "international solidarity in action". These words were a good description of the values of UBUNTU which is about solidarity with the weak.

Fidel himself during his interview after that victory said "our intervention was a genuine one, a true solidarity with the people of Namibia where other countries have made interventions, they have gained access to minerals and other products as compensation for what they have done but for us in Cuba we are proud to be carrying corpses of our dead soldiers back home for ours is a sacrifice for humanity and true solidarity".

Whist he was the Prime Minister of Cuba, he facilitated radical changing reforms; he distributed wealth among the poor. Together with Che Guevara, Fidel Castro developed a new theory which was based on collectivism (Ubuntu) that Cubans should no longer work for personal benefits, but for the good outcome of everybody in the society.

The literacy rate was considerably increased. Today, South Africa still reaps the fruits of Fidel Castro's social policies where amongst the bilateral agreements, medical aid workers are sent to assist whilst others are training in Cuba. Cuba has 48 000 volunteer doctors throughout the world. All Cubans have free quality health care.

Castro called for a regional unity at a summit meeting of sixteen Caribbean countries in 1998. One of the most remarkable gestures is his support for the poor Caribbean countries by increasing grants and scholarships to these countries.

Former President Nelson Mandela gave Castro South Africa's highest civilian award for foreigners, the Order of Good Hope.

The humour in Castro was at his best when he joked that, "if surviving assassination attempts were an Olympic sport, I would win the gold medal". We wish him many more days of humour. He taught the world the true meaning of Ubuntu. We shall continue to learn from him and keep his torch burning bright by making sure that Ubuntu is revived.

Fidel Castro will receive his Ubuntu Award at a ceremony that will be held at the Mapungubwe National Park, a world heritage site of historic note, north of the Limpopo Province in South Africa on the evening of 24 September 2008.

A South African, who is nominated by the public, will also receive the national Ubuntu Honour on 24 September.

The activities for the Ubuntu Campaign in September which is heritage month, in partnership with the Limpopo Provincial Government, will include an unveiling of the third Ubuntu memorial in Musina on 23 September followed by a public Ubuntu discussion (Ubuntu Imbizo) of about 5000 people. The Heritage Day celebration will take place on 24 September during the day followed by the Ubuntu Awards evening at

Mapungubwe.

The use of the philosophy of Ubuntu became a subject of interest since President Thabo Mbeki made a public call on Heritage Day in 2005, for South Africans to revive the African values of Ubuntu to assist in Nation Building, creating a South African identity and social cohesion.

The National Heritage Council of South Africa has been working on developing a campaign that will, from 2009, be integrated into schools and prisons as learning modules for learners and offenders. We are also pleading to the citizens of South Africa to join us in reviving the values of respect, love, honesty, compassion, humility and promoting unity.

Thank you.

Statement issued by the CEO of the National Heritage Council of South Africa, Adv Sonwabile Mancotywa, September 11 2008