Keynote address delivered by the President of the ANC, at the Reburial of Comrade Job Tabane aka Cassius Maake

Rustenburg, 28 June 2008

Chairperson of the ANC, Comrade Nono Maloyi,
Provincial Secretary of the ANC,
Supra Mahumapelo,
Premier of North West Province,
Comrade Edna Molewa,
Members of the National Executive Committee,
Members of the Provincial Executive Committee,
Leaders and members of the Tripartite Alliance,
Comrades and friends,

It is no coincidence that we rebury the mortal remains of Comrade Job Tabane popularly known as Comrade Cassius Maake, two days after the 53rd Anniversary of the adoption of the Freedom Charter, it was a vision that he lived and died for.

He dedicated his entire life to a vision of a free, non-racial, non-sexist and democratic society that was outlined in the Freedom Charter, which was finally achieved in 1994, when we went into the first democratic elections.

Today is therefore not a day of mourning, it is a day to celebrate the life and the sacrifices of an outstanding revolutionary.

It was through sacrifices of revolutionaries like Comrade Cassius that we finally won our freedom in 1994.

He paid a supreme sacrifice for his beliefs. It was through his commitment and dedication that freedom finally reigns in every corner of our country today.

When Comrade Cassius Maake laid down his life it was because he loved this country and its people such that he devoted his life to its liberation. Many of us who were his peers joined the struggle knowing very well that death in the hands of the enemy�s brutal forces was a certainty.

Comrade Cassius Maake was born on the 6th December 1942 at Maile Village (Diepkuil), just outside Rustenburg. Comrade Cassius Maake and I were of the same generation. He became involved in the struggle at a very early age.

For over half a century he was at the cutting-edge of our struggle, holding senior positions, which put his life in danger and in direct conflict with the apartheid regime.

When the apartheid assailants struck and gunned down Comrade Cassius he was in a taxi between Matsapa and Mbabane, he was together with Comrade Peter Sello Motau known as Paul Dikeledi, they were on their way to perform another important ANC mission in Swaziland. They were murdered in cold blood. They both died on the spot and became heroes and martyrs.

At the time of his brutal slaying and assassination by the dark forces of the apartheid regime, on July 8th 1987, he had risen to be one of the most respected leaders of the African National Congress, the South African Communist Party and uMkhonto we Sizwe the People�s Army.

Comrade Tabane was radical from a young age, when senior students tried to stop him from attending the meetings of the banned ANC and PAC at his school he defied them. His determination and resolve on issues could clearly be seen through this action.

Comrade Tabane was an outstanding leader and an exceptionally brilliant teacher.

While he never completed his teacher training due to his expulsion from training colleges, once he joined uMkhonto we Sizwe he emerged as a brilliant teacher and tutor to his fellow comrades, who did not understand the language they were being instructed in.

It is said that each person is defined by the times and circumstances that he/she grows under.

The South Africa of the late 1950s and the early 1960s in which Job Tabane grew up were turbulent times, those years left an indelible mark on the mind of a young Job Tabane. He was hugely influenced and shaped by his times.

It was a time of the end of the Treason Trial, a time of the Sharpeville Massacre, a time of the banning of the liberation movements, a time of the banning and arrest of political leaders and the Rivonia Trial. A time of forced removals!

The parents of Job Tabane were also victims of forced removals when they were removed to Diepkloof in Soweto. This had a huge and lasting impact on his life.

It was the injustice of this act which led him to skip the country and join uMkhonto we Sizwe in 1964. He left as Job Tabane and became the legendary Cassius Maake the nom de guerre he adopted on leaving South Africa that we know today.

When he joined uMkhonto we Sizwe in 1964, Comrade Cassius Maake started a lifetime of commitment and dedication to the struggle. This was a path that saw him travelling to various countries and cities of the world, in the service of the ANC.

>From Botswana he moved to Dar es Salaam, before he moved to Odessa where he received military training.

On his return he was deployed to serve the ANC in Kongwa, Tanzania where for many years he continued with the literacy-training programme, to his less than fortunate comrades. His main specialisation was in mathematics and English.

After that he was deployed to the ANC Head Quarters in Dar es Salaam where he was put in charge of Radio Freedom, the voice of the ANC and MK. We all know the important role that Radio Freedom played in the mobilisation of our people and boosting the morale of our guerrillas.

At Radio Freedom, he was very passionate about his job and successfully formed a dedicated team of radio announcers. At this time he was also closely working with South West African People's Organisation (SWAPO).

In 1972 Comrade Cassius underwent further and more advanced training in the Soviet Union, this time in Moscow, where he attended the Young Communist League Party School commonly known as Komsomol. This training prepared him for much bigger leadership tasks in the movement.

The changes that were taking place in Southern Africa � the liberation of Mozambique and Angola, the Soweto Students Uprising � were developments that were to provide Comrade Cassius with an opportunity to prove his leadership prowess and put to good use all the skills he had acquired during his training in various fields.

The ANC further tasked Comrade Cassius Maake with a mammoth task of being its Chief Representative in Angola, by opening its office in Luanda.

A very difficult job as many young people who had left South Africa in the aftermath of June 16 1976, were swelling the ranks of MK. Many young people passed through the Angolan camps to receive their military training.

This posed may challenges as this generation was very radical and was eager to get its military training and get back to South Africa and engage the enemy.

He faced many challenges but triumphed against all of them with his steady character, soft voice, humble demeanour, patience, and a quiet laugh. He handled all the challenges through his determination and resolute commitment.

It was in 1978, when Comrade Cassius was recalled to Zambia where he was made the Deputy Secretary of the Revolutionary Council (RC), a senior position in MK structures.

He was the responsible for the registration and recording of the movement of arms and other military equipment, setting up dead letter boxes, identifying infiltration routes in the frontline states, and deploying combatants when necessary.

His loyalty to the movement led to him being seconded to serve in the Politico Military Council (PMC). In early 1982, he was arrested in Botswana together with Comrade Joe Modise, for illegally transporting weapons.

During the Kabwe Consultative Conference of the ANC, in June 1985, it was no surprise when Comrade Cassius Maake was elected to the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the ANC. A position he took with humility always respecting the membership of the ANC and its alliance partners.

He was also a senior member of the Central Committee of the South African Communist Party (SACP). He was a man of humble origins who rose through the ranks of the movement by dedication, courteousness, diligence, and the will to succeed from the lowest levels of the ANC and MK to become a national leader.

For him to rise to that point it is because he was a disciplined cadre of the African National Congress, and a revolutionary. Any task that the ANC gave him he accepted and executed with diligence and commitment. He was trusted because he respected every member of the ANC regardless of the rank or position they held.

Today, we need more comrades to emulate Comrade Tabane for his discipline, his love for the organisation and his dedication to the goals of our National Democratic Revolution, to bring order and sanity to our movement.

As we work steadfastly to renew the character, values and traditions of our movement, let us draw from the inspiration of revolutionaries such as Comrade Tabane. For him leadership was not a privilege but a duty and service to his people. As we rebury him let us take the best out of his life. He understood the importance of unity and discipline. He always knew that without a united ANC the goals of our revolution would not be achieved.

As our movement faces challenges and attack from many quarters, let us hang on to the memories of our fallen cadres, and draw strength from their lives and dedication to our glorious movement.

Our country went through a horrible phase a few months ago, when South Africans and citizens of other African countries were attacked in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape. It became an indication of the solid foundations of our revolution that such violence was stopped in its tracks before escalating into an ugly full-scale urban unrest.

We owe it to the memory of our stalwarts, veterans and fallen heroes to ensure that keep our ears to the ground and help the movement to deal with problems that may cause instability in our country.

We have called for the revival of street committees in all our communities to fight crime and to help us detect the planning of any untoward behaviour. The committees are not a vigilante force of any kind, but formal structures that would work closely with the police.

Comrades, let us salute the Tabane family for allowing him to be part of our revolutionary struggle, his wife Thokozani Grace, or Nozipho Modisane, and his two children Phakiso and Karabo and the entire extended family.

Without their support it would have been impossible for him to give his life so willingly to the struggle and our people.

Pick Up His Spear!!

Amandla!! Awethu!!
Matla !! Ke A Rona !!
Long Live the Spirit of Cassius Maake !!
Long Live!!