Date: 13/05/2003
Source: The Presidency
Title: J Zuma: Walter Sisulu Memorial Service
ADDRESS BY DEPUTY PRESIDENT JACOB ZUMA, MOTION OF CONDOLENCE FOR THE LATE WALTER SISULU, National Assembly, Parliament, Cape Town, 13 May 2003
Madame Speaker,
Honourable Members,
Mama Albertina Sisulu and family at home,
At a time like this, when we are bidding our final farewells to one of the most remarkable men known to us and the world, it is very difficult to find the right words to do so.
Words seem so inadequate and so limited in describing a man with so many great achievements in his lifetime, a man who gave everything, and wanted nothing in return, except the freedom of his people.
We not only mourn his death but also, and more importantly, celebrate every aspect of his life, which he sacrificed selflessly on the altar of the struggle for the freedom of his country.
Having been born in the same year as the organisation to which he dedicated his whole life - the African National Congress (ANC) - Tata Sisulu was at the heart of ANC affairs from the 1940s to his arrest at Rivonia in 1963, to Robben Island, to his release and until his last days.
He was the main defence witness in the Rivonia trial, and spent twenty-six of his best years incarcerated on Robben Island. Through it all, he never relented his commitment to the struggle.
When the prison doors were opened in 1989 for him and some of his comrades, he continued his sterling work of campaigning, mobilising and organising for the ANC.
It is well known that Xhamela was both guide and mentor to Nelson Mandela upon Madiba's arrival in Johannesburg for the first time.
It was also he who recruited into the struggle many outstanding leaders. He worked with Mandela, Oliver Tambo, Anton Lembede and others in the African National Congress Youth League whose invigorating ideas transformed the ANC, steered our country towards freedom and brought about democracy, the restoration of South Africa's dignity and respect to its citizens.
In recognition of Xhamela's personal worth, dedication and firmness, he was elected Secretary General of the ANC at its 1949 Congress, where the 'Programme of Action' was adopted.
It was Walter Sisulu, his unrelenting efforts and his organising brilliance, who held everybody together through the Defiance Campaign, the Congress of the People, the Treason Trial, the strikes and boycotts, the stresses and conflicts of the late 1950s into the highest point of the non-violent struggle.
And it was he who guided the ANC into the underground after the banning of the movement in 1960 and laid the foundation for the shift to active self-defence against the violence of the state which gave birth to Umkhonto we Sizwe.
Honourable Members, Tata Sisulu was a living embodiment of the people's struggle for liberation as well as of the ANC - its principles and revolutionary philosophy. He was selfless, giving, dedicated and displayed an outstanding commitment to the ANC and the struggle for liberation.
He gave us his life, time and energy, as well as that of his wife, and his children. He was always there, ready and willing to continue to work, to give guidance and play the advisory role everyone came to admire.
Tata Sisulu radiated a calm persona - borne from careful judgement, an unequalled capacity to listen, deliberation and empathy. That is one of the main reasons everyone, even those from other political formations, sought his counsel and saw his views as crucial.
It is all these qualities, and countless others, that not only gives him a unique place in our history, but places him in that special category of giants who dedicated their lives to resist colonialist oppression and apartheid, so that at the end we achieved our freedom.
Those of us who were fortunate and blessed enough to have had personal and intimate contact with Xhamela will be most mindful of his absolute belief that, as freedom fighters, we had a fundamental obligation to serve the masses of our people and our country.
He believed that, in spite of the differences and disagreements, which at times emerge in the course of struggle, we should never mislead or divide our people; instead, our task must always be to unite them.
I must repeat that words alone are not enough to pay homage to such a valiant cadre and leader. I therefore support the call made by his friend and comrade, Madiba, that we, as a thankful nation, eternalise the life and times of Xhamela with an appropriate memorial.
I appeal to Members of this august House to work tirelessly, in support of these ideals, to ensure that the memory of Xhamela is treasured for many generations of Africa's children.
To Mama Sisulu, Comrades Max, Mlungisi, Zwelakhe, Lindiwe, Nonkululeko, Jongumzi, Gerald, Beryl and Samuel, as well as the extended family and loved ones of Tata, we are all gravely saddened by this immeasurable loss that you share with all South Africans, and all the peoples of the world.
We must be grateful that Xhamela lived the last fourteen years of his life outside Robben Island, with his loving wife and family.
We must also be thankful that he tasted the sweet fruits of the freedom he fought for his entire life.
Hamba Kahle, Xhamela! And may we always hold up your life, your example and your humility as the torch with which we light up the unknown that future we are preparing for future generations.
I thank you.
Issued by The Presidency
13 May 2003
Source: The Presidency
Title: J Zuma: Walter Sisulu Memorial Service
ADDRESS BY DEPUTY PRESIDENT JACOB ZUMA, MOTION OF CONDOLENCE FOR THE LATE WALTER SISULU, National Assembly, Parliament, Cape Town, 13 May 2003
Madame Speaker,
Honourable Members,
Mama Albertina Sisulu and family at home,
At a time like this, when we are bidding our final farewells to one of the most remarkable men known to us and the world, it is very difficult to find the right words to do so.
Words seem so inadequate and so limited in describing a man with so many great achievements in his lifetime, a man who gave everything, and wanted nothing in return, except the freedom of his people.
We not only mourn his death but also, and more importantly, celebrate every aspect of his life, which he sacrificed selflessly on the altar of the struggle for the freedom of his country.
Having been born in the same year as the organisation to which he dedicated his whole life - the African National Congress (ANC) - Tata Sisulu was at the heart of ANC affairs from the 1940s to his arrest at Rivonia in 1963, to Robben Island, to his release and until his last days.
He was the main defence witness in the Rivonia trial, and spent twenty-six of his best years incarcerated on Robben Island. Through it all, he never relented his commitment to the struggle.
When the prison doors were opened in 1989 for him and some of his comrades, he continued his sterling work of campaigning, mobilising and organising for the ANC.
It is well known that Xhamela was both guide and mentor to Nelson Mandela upon Madiba's arrival in Johannesburg for the first time.
It was also he who recruited into the struggle many outstanding leaders. He worked with Mandela, Oliver Tambo, Anton Lembede and others in the African National Congress Youth League whose invigorating ideas transformed the ANC, steered our country towards freedom and brought about democracy, the restoration of South Africa's dignity and respect to its citizens.
In recognition of Xhamela's personal worth, dedication and firmness, he was elected Secretary General of the ANC at its 1949 Congress, where the 'Programme of Action' was adopted.
It was Walter Sisulu, his unrelenting efforts and his organising brilliance, who held everybody together through the Defiance Campaign, the Congress of the People, the Treason Trial, the strikes and boycotts, the stresses and conflicts of the late 1950s into the highest point of the non-violent struggle.
And it was he who guided the ANC into the underground after the banning of the movement in 1960 and laid the foundation for the shift to active self-defence against the violence of the state which gave birth to Umkhonto we Sizwe.
Honourable Members, Tata Sisulu was a living embodiment of the people's struggle for liberation as well as of the ANC - its principles and revolutionary philosophy. He was selfless, giving, dedicated and displayed an outstanding commitment to the ANC and the struggle for liberation.
He gave us his life, time and energy, as well as that of his wife, and his children. He was always there, ready and willing to continue to work, to give guidance and play the advisory role everyone came to admire.
Tata Sisulu radiated a calm persona - borne from careful judgement, an unequalled capacity to listen, deliberation and empathy. That is one of the main reasons everyone, even those from other political formations, sought his counsel and saw his views as crucial.
It is all these qualities, and countless others, that not only gives him a unique place in our history, but places him in that special category of giants who dedicated their lives to resist colonialist oppression and apartheid, so that at the end we achieved our freedom.
Those of us who were fortunate and blessed enough to have had personal and intimate contact with Xhamela will be most mindful of his absolute belief that, as freedom fighters, we had a fundamental obligation to serve the masses of our people and our country.
He believed that, in spite of the differences and disagreements, which at times emerge in the course of struggle, we should never mislead or divide our people; instead, our task must always be to unite them.
I must repeat that words alone are not enough to pay homage to such a valiant cadre and leader. I therefore support the call made by his friend and comrade, Madiba, that we, as a thankful nation, eternalise the life and times of Xhamela with an appropriate memorial.
I appeal to Members of this august House to work tirelessly, in support of these ideals, to ensure that the memory of Xhamela is treasured for many generations of Africa's children.
To Mama Sisulu, Comrades Max, Mlungisi, Zwelakhe, Lindiwe, Nonkululeko, Jongumzi, Gerald, Beryl and Samuel, as well as the extended family and loved ones of Tata, we are all gravely saddened by this immeasurable loss that you share with all South Africans, and all the peoples of the world.
We must be grateful that Xhamela lived the last fourteen years of his life outside Robben Island, with his loving wife and family.
We must also be thankful that he tasted the sweet fruits of the freedom he fought for his entire life.
Hamba Kahle, Xhamela! And may we always hold up your life, your example and your humility as the torch with which we light up the unknown that future we are preparing for future generations.
I thank you.
Issued by The Presidency
13 May 2003
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