2016-06-16 06:00
Basil Mtungane
Andile Tyingwa
Andile Tyingwa, one of the founding memebrs of the Township Students Congress has passed on and will be buried on Saturday from his home in Guguletu.
Tyingwa,46, attended Xolani Lower Primary, Siyazingisa Public Primary and Fezeka High School.
At Fezeka, he was exposed to politics for the first time. He was involved in the Joint SRC which was the student movement at that time, since Cosas (Congress of South African Students) had banned by the apartheid regime.
He was one of the leading forces in this joint SRC, which agitated for the removal of White principals from Black schools.
He was also involved in the non-racial sport struggles in opposition to the Department of Education and Training's racially aligned sports campaigns under the racist government of PW Botha.
Affectionatelly known as Aija, Tyingwa . knew what he wanted and was determined to contribute to the end of apartheid in order to build a non-racial, non-racist and prosperous South Africa.
Aija quickly developed to being a seasoned organizer for Tosco, to which he recruited many students.
Some of those students today occupy important posts both at local and national government level.
He later alligned himself with the Cape Youth Congress, which was affiliated to the United Democratic Front.
In the late 80's he joined the South African Communist Party and worked tirelessy to rebuild the party after more than threedecades of banishment.
He was involved in reorganising the cells and units and turned them into above ground branches.
During this period he gained much respect from comrades for not being a 'yes man'.
He could not bring himself to agree on any matter just because it was said by so and so, if it was not based on principle, much to the chagrin of others and great material sacrifice to himself.
In the early 90's he went to study at the then University of the North in Limpopo.
This is a time when he became involved in the underground structures of uMkhonto weSizwe, under the command of the late Comrade Thamsanqa Rhubusana. Aija was respected for being a loyal and disciplined member of MK.
He served as a member of MK until he was integrated into the South African National Defense Force in 1996-2020, where he served as an intelligence and administration clerk.
In 2006/7 he became a coordinator and communication officer at the Youth Commission. He also was the founder member of the Gugulethu Development Forum, serving as its first communication and administration officer.
At the time of his demise, he served as the treasurer of the Dorothy Zihlangu branch and SACP Chairperson in Gugulethu.
He was a dedicated cadre of the movement and community developer
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Local/City-Vision/selfless-cadre-to-be-laid-to-rest-20160615