6 May 2010
The SACP dips its banner in honour of Comrade Sheena Duncan, human rights activist and friend of the workers and the poor, who has passed away in Johannesburg at the age of 78.
The SACP sends its condolences to her family and joins her many colleagues and compatriots in paying tribute to a remarkable South African.
We will remember Cde Sheena as a fearless fighter against oppression and an indomitable campaigner against apartheid. Along with other members of the Black Sash, she worked tirelessly throughout the dark days of apartheid to expose the cruelties of the pass laws and the horrors of the bantustans. Cde Sheena was at the forefront of the unusual phenomenon of white middle class women taking up the concrete struggles and issues of the poor. She contributed to the Black Sash playing a critical role in exposing orchestrated violence in KwaZulu Natal and embarking upon many solidarity activities with victims of this violence. Cde Sheena was a brave and principled activist with an unwavering commitment to the poor and was always a thorn on the side of the patriarchal and racist apartheid regime.
She dedicated her life to practical work in the struggle against oppression, violence and injustice - whether through the Black Sash, where she served as its national president, founding chairperson of its trust and as the organisation’s first patron - or through the South African Council of Churches, where she became its honorary life President, or through Gun-Free South Africa, where she was chairperson and patron.
Comrade Sheena was a member of the first steering committee of the Financial Sector Campaign Coalition, a broad-based coalition led by the SACP from 2001 to campaign for transformation of the financial sector in our country. In her we found a kindred spirit, who gave generously of her time and knowledge, and who was committed to working for the economic as well as the political liberation of our people.
We are grateful for the opportunity we had of getting to know her through the integrity and commitment that she brought to her role in the FSCC. We smile as we recall meetings with bankers and insurance executives who were often taken aback to find her on our side of the table, along with communists and trade unionists. We remember her for the sense of humour and generosity of spirit that characterised all her interactions.
It was therefore no mistake that she was a recipient of one of South Africa’s National Orders in recognition of her contribution to the liberation, reconstruction and development of our country.
As we mourn Cde Sheena`s passing away, we express our gratitude for a life well-lived.
Hamba Kahle, Comrade Sheena!
Issued by the SACP
Contact:
Malesela Maleka
SACP Spokeseprson – 082 226 1802