Translated "Avante!" article by Albano Nunes, Member of the Secretariat of the CC
Nelson Mandela has died, a symbol of the South African people’s heroic apartheid struggle towards its liberation, “ one of the greatest 20th century revolutionaries”, as referred by the South Africa Communist Party , during its heartfelt funeral tribute. His memory shall remain for ever among the exploited and oppressed throughout the world and amid his exalting life story, of courage and love for his people, will encounter redoubled motives of confidence in the possibility of, through their persistent and organized struggle , to defeat the most powerful and cruel enemies, as the apartheid was.
And this memoir ought to be defended and preserved, as the banner of a struggle that ought to carry on till the complete abolition of exploitation of man by man. As others, as many of those who persecuted and slandered him, are committed in a sordid hypocrisy show, trying to politically profit from their collage to Mandela’s enormous prestige and change his beloved name by the wide masses unto their banner, and therefore, hinder and whiten their most reactionary political and ideological positions.
Amid all that was written and said, during these days of mourning in the dominant media, what is outstanding is the effort to hinder and in the minimum to diminish, Mandela’s relevant aspects of his revolutionary path and thinking. Why the complete silence on the South-African Communist Party’s presence in his life? And that it was with Joe Slovo , latter on, secretary-general of the SACP, who created the “ Spear of the Nation”, the ANC’s armed brace? Only but highlighting what was considered “acceptable” concerning Mandela and trying to minimize his greatness as a revolutionary, to a simple “humanist” and “conciliator”, and the dominant classes, by nurturing the class conciliation ideology, seem to implore to be forgiven in the future for the crimes they currently commit.
Among the outstanding avalanche of messages, statements, opinion articles, interviews, it is not easy to find the communists’, revolutionaries and progressive voices. The right-wing voice domain, the social-democracy, the major imperialism exponents, the hypocrisy they exhibit is devastating and shameless. As an example, Cavaco Silva; the attempts to justify his government’s vote in the UN, in 1987, invocating the ANC’s resource to the armed struggle, in order to refuse the apartheid regime condemnation, his behaviour being more serious, moreover the Portuguese Constitution “recognizes the right of peoples to insurrection against all forms of oppression”. But mainly the impudence of the more important imperialist leaders, currently engaged in a violent process of planetarium re-colonization, proceeding with all Mandela always condemned, and using all types of violence and aggressions in order to attempt to revert history’s wheel. Impudence , particularly insolent and cruel concerning North -American imperialism, currently active in the destabilizing within the African continent, the imposing of puppet governments, which facilitate natural resources pillage and the free multinational exploitation, in which the Africom creation is inserted.
Meanwhile, the speculations on the so-called “post-Mandela” are abundant, and a South Africa’s future which , twenty years upon the apartheid ending , serious inequalities and social problems subsist, and the property structure remains practically intact. Great is the hope of the international reaction on the Tripartite Alliance - the ANC, SACP, COSATU ( Congress of South African Trade-Unions) - and from which Mandela’s historical role is inseparable.
The South African people’s liberating struggle carries on. The PCP will be, as always: side-by side with the South African communists and revolutionaries. Honouring Mandela’s memoir.
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