26 April 2020
The South African Communist Party greatly welcomes the arrival of a Cuban Internationalist Medical Brigade to South Africa to assist in the efforts to win the war against the deadly novel coronavirus (Covid-19). The Cuban revolutionary government has decided to support the great efforts by South Africa in containing and arresting the spread of Covid-19 in response to a request made by our government. The SACP wishes to thank our government for making the request given Cuba’s outstanding capacity and performance in health-care.
A specialised Cuban Internationalist Medical Brigade will land at OR Tambo International Airport a minute before the 26th anniversary of South Africa’s Freedom Day, 23h59 today, Sunday 26 April 2020, in a special South African Airways (SAA) flight to support our fight against Covid-19. The SACP also wishes to thank SAA for this demonstrable developmental role that it is playing and pledges its profound solidarity with the dedicated SAA workers as a whole.
The Cuban Internationalist Medical Brigade due to land in South Africa tonight comprises 217 health professionals, including family physicians, epidemiologists, biostatists, health-care technology engineers, biotechnology experts, among other carefully selected specialists so as to ensure great experience and knowledge in the planning, execution and management of clinical cases as well as the public health response. The health-care professionals will be deployed in different provinces of South Africa in accordance with the strategic plans elaborated by our government in the war against Covid-19.
The SACP fully agrees with the government of Cuba, that ‘These times require co-operation and solidarity’. ‘If we act together’, said the government of Cuba through its Embassy in the City of Tshwane, South Africa, ‘the propagation of the virus will be halted, in a faster and more cost-effective manner’. True to its historic solidarity, the government of Cuba has deployed over 1 200 health-care professionals in 22 countries in different continents at their request to fight against Covid-19.
Cuba has also played a crucial role in the training of medical practitioners and engineers for our country, a relationship that started under the leadership of our first democratically elected President Nelson Mandela and President of Cuba Fidel Castro. The SACP cherishes the long standing solidarity with Cuba dating back to the struggle against colonialism and apartheid. This relationship paved the way for our 1994 democratic breakthrough through the historic victory over apartheid forces in Angola in the mid-1970s.
Our medical and other strategic co-operation with Cuba should be strengthened. Cuba has worldwide recognised diabetic treatment capacity which could immensely benefit our country, stop unnecessary amputations and save lives.
As South Africa we have a lot to learn from Cuba, an island that has produced high levels of education and long life expectancy rates, as well as a massive health-care, genetic engineering and biotechnology capacity with limited resources in the face of an illegal economic and financial blockade by the United States. Cuba stood its ground in the face of this destructive hostility by a world superpower. The Cuban people defended their fundamental right to self-determination, the right to choose their own development path and policies suited to their conditions.
The SACP strongly condemns the imperialist attacks directed at the Cuban revolution as well the people and government of Cuba by the United States for over half a century now. The Donald Trump administration of the imperialist regime has tightened the draconian extraterritorial measures aimed at achieving destabilisation and regime change. The SACP reaffirms its revolutionary international solidarity with the government and people of Cuba. We call upon the United States government to end its illegal and inhumane blockade of Cuba unconditionally with immediate effect. Furthermore, the United States must end its occupation of Guantanamo Bay in Cuba unconditionally with immediate effect.
ISSUED BY THE SOUTH AFRICAN COMMUNIST PARTY | SACP
EST. 1921 AS THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF SOUTH AFRICA | CPSA
Dr Alex Mohubetswane Mashilo
Central Committee Member: Head of Media & Communications
FOR INTERVIEW ARRANGEMENTS, MEDIA LIAISON & CIRCULATION SERVICES
Hlengiwe Nkonyane
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