Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
MEDIA STATEMENT ON THE COMMEMORATION OF THE TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEATH OF DULCIE SEPTEMBER
The town of Arcueil commemorated today (Saturday 4 April) the tenth anniversary of the death of Dulcie September, ANC representative in France from 1984 until her assassination in Paris on 29 March 1998. The ceremony in Arcueil, town where Dulcie September lived, follows the inauguration of the Dulcie September Square in Paris on Tuesday 31 March 1998.
The commemoration, which included a wreath laying ceremony in front of the house in which Dulcie September lived during her years in France, were attended by the mayor of Arcueil, Mr Daniel Breuiller, Ambassador Barbara Masekela, dignitaries from the regional Council of Val-de-Marne, representatives from the former anti-apartheid movement and the people of the town of Arcueil, who came to pay their respects to a fallen friend and comrade.
Dulcie September is especially revered in the town of Arcueil where she stayed during her struggle-years. A local school carries her name. Arcueil was also one of the few places which President Mandela visited during his official visit to France in July 1996 and during which, in a moving speech, he payed homage to Dulcie September as well as to the people of Arcueil for their contribution to the struggle of liberation in South Africa.
Setting the tone of the commemoration, Ambassador Masekela said "...we are not only gathered here to remember a great South Africa woman, but also to celebrate the triumph of change in South Africa. Dulcie's struggle was not in vain". Adding that "...when we remember her, we are reminded of how important it is for us to be steadfast and never to compromise our principles. History has taught us that, sometimes, even the smallest of compromises can throw us back into an environment where the survival of the fittest is all that remains and where noble causes in defence of the poor, the underprivileged and the weak, have no place".
ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS ON BEHALF OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN EMBASSY IN PARIS PRETORIA 4 APRIL 1998