Message on the occasion of the commemoration of 24th anniversary of the cowardly assassination of Comrade Chris Hani

10 April 2017

The SACP expresses its sincere gratitude to government for declaring the Chris Hani graveside and wall of remembrance a national heritage. We also want to thank the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality for acquiring the Hani house where Comrade Chris was cowardly assassinated and make it part of this national project. These correct programmes will contribute in ensuring that the memory of Comrade Chris Hani lives.

As the SACP, we are convinced that the circumstances relating to Hani`s cowardly assassination have not been fully disclosed, by his murderers and whoever collaborated with them or had prior knowledge of the planned killing. We are calling for an official inquest into all the circumstances surrounding the murder.

Today, on the occasion of this commemoration of the 24th anniversary of the cowardly assassination of Comrade Chris Hani, we recall what he said in his own words, and in the memorandum he produced together with six other uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) combatants.

In his own words looking at South Africa and its future, the future of peace and shared prosperity, this is what he had to say:

"What we need in South Africa is for egos to be suppressed in favour of peace. We need to create a new breed of South Africans who love their country and love everybody, irrespective of their colour."

This is what living the legacy of Chris Hani means, in line with the theme chosen by the municipality for this important event. Anything in contradiction will have nothing or at least less to do with Comrade Chris.

Hani was a communist. He fought for the transformation of South Africa in all aspects of societal life to become a truly non-racial democratic society without sexism, tribalism and chauvinism. He fought for the achievement of transformation to solve the problems of class, race and gender inequalities, unemployment and poverty.

Comrade Chris was opposed to economic exploitation, the main cause and driver of these problems, regardless of whether the exploiters who enrich themselves at the expense of the workers and poor are black or white, nationals or foreign nationals. He was vehemently opposed to manipulation of our national resources and wealth, regardless of whether the manipulators are black or white, nationals or foreign nationals. Comrade Chris despised nepotism, and took active steps to confront it.

Some of these and the other things that he was fiercely opposed to are documented, among others, in a memorandum written and signed by Comrade Chris and six other members of the MK. The memorandum was produced in early 1969 after the brave and revolutionary action of the Wankie and Sipolilo campaigns. Comrade Chris was arrested following those events and sentenced to imprisonment in Botswana. The `Hani Memorandum`, as the document came to be known, was very combative and straightforward.

We would like to quote three paragraphs from the `Hani Memorandum`. They read as follows:

• "It is high time that all members and cadres of the ANC, be they in MK or not, should receive equal treatment and be judged only on the basis of their dedication and sacrifice to the cause we serve. The principle of thorough selection of cadres should be on the basis of merit and such selection should never be delegated to an individual - this will prevent individuals owing allegiance to those who appoint them rather than to the Revolution."
• "There are certain symptoms which are very disturbing and dispiriting to genuine revolutionaries. These comprise the opening of mysterious business enterprises... And some of the people in charge of these enterprises are dubious characters with shady political backgrounds."
• "This is disturbing because the very comrade... who is supposed to be planning, directing and leading the struggle... is fully involved in these enterprises... it is extremely doubtful that with his attention so divided he can do justice..."

It is like we are in a Déjà vu. But there are differences. The `Hani Memorandum` was written in the context of our movement facing a crisis. The document received mixed reactions. Some of these made life very difficult for the comrades. It was because of the sterling and unifying leadership of President OR Tambo that a solution was found. The ANC convened the Morogoro Consultative Conference. The conference developed the best of clarity in the form of the first ANC Strategy and Tactics. Because of this, the document was widely accepted even outside of the ranks of the ANC and was embraced by Alliance partners. Among other things, the document said:

• "our nationalism must not be confused with chauvinism or narrow nationalism of a previous epoch. It must not be confused with the classical drive by an elitist group among the oppressed people to gain ascendancy so that they can replace the oppressor in the exploitation of the masses."
• "Our drive towards national emancipation is therefore in a very real way bound up with economic emancipation... But one thing is certain - in our land this cannot be effectively tackled unless the basic wealth and the basic resources are at the disposal of the people as a whole and are not manipulated by sections or individuals be they White or Black."

These principles remain fundamental. In fact they represent the best values of what we now refer to as the second, more radical phase of our national democratic revolution. There are many revolutionary principles for our generation and future generations to learn from the principles we have outlined from the good leadership example set by Comrade Chris.

Comrade Chris fought for socialism, a social, political-economic system in which the exploitation of one person, group, class and nation by another is eliminated. Taking forward this struggle is what living the legacy of Chris Hani means. Anything wishy-washy will have nothing or at least less to do with Comrade Chris. As the SACP we remain firm behind the revolutionary aims he dedicated his life to achieve.

This is why we have been outright, in defence of our revolution and democratic national sovereignty, against corporate capture both within the ranks of our broader movement and the state. We are motivated exactly by Hani`s good leadership example in our fight against corruption, rent-seeking, patronage and questionable dealings and decisions in the state and state owned entities.

Taking our cue from Comrade Chris, we remain firmly committed to our Alliance. This is why are concerned about the increasing tactical differences within our Alliance. It is also why we are concerned that the Alliance`s modus operandi is outdated. The Alliance must be reconfigured to move with the times and function both optimally and effectively.

In particular, the execution of the national democratic revolution as a joint Alliance programme both outside and inside of the state cannot be overemphasised. We need unity of purpose. But this requires meaningful and consistent consultation. It requires the upholding of the principles of collective leadership and individual accountability based on division of work and responsibilities. Unity of purpose, which is unity in perspective as well, is the cornerstone of unity in action.

Taking our cue from Comrade Chris, we have upgraded our approach with new decisions on the issues we have raised and other issues. We want to achieve a revolutionary way forward from the prevailing destructive situation affecting our movement and now also our country.

This includes the undeniable crisis of leadership that has resulted in serious problems and set in motion a trend of loss of support from the mass base. We will do our best to achieve a turnaround. We have made decisions, including that it was time that the President resigns.

We will engage and further elaborate without fear or favour. We remain resolute, and we are forging ahead, in memory of Comrade Chris.