In response to DA MP Geordin Hill-Lewis "SA giving R350m to Cuba", a basic understanding of the deeply entrenched political and humanist solidarity the South African government and people in general share with Cuba should be raised to perhaps enlighten the DA MP in this regard.

Mr Hill-Lewis should be assisted in a brief history lesson of the role the Cuban people under the leadership of Fidel Castro played in dismantling the racist Apartheid regime.  This internationalist role of intervention was not undertaken to secure oil reserves or natural resources, it was a role undertaken to assist in the liberation of South Africans from a vile and racist minority regime.

It seems common cause that neo-liberal adherents conveniently forget the pivotal historical sacrifice Cuba has made on the International Solidarity stage. Cuba's military assistance in Angola paved the way for the liberation and Independence of Namibia, assisted in ensuring that imperialism in Africa was halted and dealt a severe military blow to the Apartheid regime at the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale.

Mr Hill-Lewis must also be reminded that Cuba's role in the liberation of our country is not solely limited to the historical and political ties we share but in the ongoing and unwavering contemporary global solidarity in the form of Medical Internationalism.

Perhaps Mr Lewis-Hill might alter his very limited understanding of historical and contemporary International affairs by paying reference to the fact that Cuba's international role in assisting developing nations (including South Africa) with the deployment of trained medical personal exceeds that of G8 nations combined.

Perhaps Mr Lewis-Hill should commence his opinion piece with a criticism of his own political party, a party that continues to prevent working class students in the Western Cape from studying medicine in Cuba.

Barry James Mitchell

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