ANC STATEMENT ON THE RETURN OF THE REMAINS OF MOSES KOTANE AND JB MARKS TO SOUTH AFRICA
The African National Congress is thrilled with the decision of the South African government to repatriate the remains of the two stalwarts of our revolution Comrade Moses Kotane and Comrade J B Marks who both died and were buried in Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow in 1978 and 1972 respectively. Both these stalwarts deserve a post-humous hero's welcome to the land of their birth which has, owing to their sacrifice and life-long commitment, achieved liberation and is still forging forward to being the society they both gave up their lives to be.
Both these stalwarts, who were midwives of our tripartite alliance, led all three components of the revolutionary alliance, the ANC, SACP and Sactu which was a fore-runner of Cosatu. Comrade Kotane who was the General Secretary of the SACP and JB Marks the National Chairperson of SACP were the champions of the working class struggles and both served in various leadership capacities as well as Treasurer General of the ANC at different times thus gave practical meaning of leading a complex but well defined struggles that knitted the critical strands of our struggle.
It is fitting that both will be laid at sites that will be designated Heros Acre through an officials reburial ceremonies in the North West Province both in Pella and Ventersdorp. The African National Congress is represented by its Deputy Secretary General, Comrade Jessie Duarte as part of the team that will accompany the return of the remains of our heros. We call on our people to come out in numbers as they arrive on the 2nd March 2015 at Waterkloof Airbase in Pretoria.
Statement issued by Zizi Kodwa, ANC national spokesperson, February 24 2015
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