SACP Eastern Cape Tribute to Comrade Thobile Bam (1962 2010)
22 July 2010
On the 16th of July 2010, the people of the Eastern Cape lost one their beloved son and gallant fighter for the liberation our country, Comrade Thobile Bam.
The SACP pays tribute to this son of the soil who is universally described as the most disciplined, articulate and dedicated communist cadre of our movement. It is with deep sense of sadness for his family, yet with pride for his contribution, that the SACP in the province of the Eastern Cape dips its banner in honour of Comrade Thobile Bam, a communist, liberation fighter, a commissar and leader of our glorious liberation movement.
Comrade Thobile Bam, affectionately known to his comrades and compatriots as Thole, was born at Ngqeleni in the then Transkei on 01 April 1962. He is the first of four sons of Mr Ntando Joubert Bam and Mrs Nomabali Cecilia Bam. Comrade Thobile descends from a family of activists with his father and mother having participated actively in the underground structures of the movement and Umkhonto We Sizwe.
We remember Comrade Thobile Bam as a fearless revolutionary who fought stoically for the liberation of our country. He fought from many fronts with great revolutionary and unbridled energy characteristic of a true communist. Comrade Thobile cut his teeth in political activism as a student at the then University of Transkei, where he also was part of underground structures of the movement based at the university. His fervent and uncompromising fight against the Mantanzima regime made him unpalatable to the puppet regime of apartheid South Africa. With the Bantustan police hot on his heels, Comrade Thobile skipped the country to continue the fight for liberation of his people from outside.
Comrade Thobile Bam comprehended and articulated tasks of the revolution with great intellectual clarity due to his appreciation and thorough grasp of revolutionary theory in guiding political action. His rigorous exposition of the political situation in South Africa and internationally, was informed by the fact that Comrade Thobile Bam was a trained freedom fighter and commissar. He spent a year in the then German Democratic Republic in the County of Dresden for specialisation in politics and four years training for a conventional aviation course in Frunze 1 Aviation Academy in Kirghistan, far eastern part of USSR.
Comrade Thobile possessed rarely qualities that led to his recruitment into the South African Communist Party in exile. A true communist and internationalist, he will be remembered for his unparalleled passion for political education, which made him up to the point of his departure on earth, the longest serving Political Education Secretary in all provinces of the ANC. He understood very well that political consciousness is acquired through a systematic process of education and action. This made him one of the most effective organisers who combined theory with practice.
His character as a communist was most exemplified in his unwavering commitment to work with branches of the African National Congress to build their capacity. Comrade Thobile understood that branches of the movement are at the coalface of the national democratic struggle. He criss-crossed the vast province of the Eastern Cape mobilising and educating branches of the ANC and the Alliance as a whole, equipping them for the tasks of the revolution. This was a communist who did not have taste for fame and glory; he only had the love for ordinary working people and the poor. With his political credentials, he could have been anything he wanted to be, yet he chose to be with ordinary people, understanding fully that they are the bedrock of our revolution.
Demonstrating true communist consciousness and understanding of South African revolution, Comrade Thobile Bam loved the African National Congress. He unsparingly utilised his skills as a trained communist to build an effective ANC as a leader of the Alliance. He ensured ANC branches understand the nature and character of the Alliance. He made available Marxist tools of analysis to ordinary branch members of the ANC in the most simplified and accessible form.
It can be said boldly, without boosting that this was a communist to the core. Even during his months of suffering from cancer, comrade Thobo demonstrated a communist quality of bravery and fought till the end. He refused to die! One time although very ill he remarked, ndizakuphila nobhala speaking to our Provincial Secretary.
The South African Communist Party in the Eastern Cape will surely miss his contribution and commit to refuse to let him die and will double our efforts to bring Socialism in our county. We remain comforted in the knowledge of the fact that he has produced many cadres and leaders who understand the true multi-class character of the South African revolution.
Hambakahle Thole
Issued by: South African Communist Party Province of the Eastern Cape
