Fellow countrymen and comrades,
Militants of the people's army Umkhonto we Sizwe,
December 16, 1981, marks the 20th anniversary of our glorious people's army, Umkhonto we Sizwe, the spear of the oppressed black people of our land.
This year, on Heroes Day, we look back with pride over 20 years of arduous struggle and forward with resolve and determination to the battles ahead.
We look back firstly to 16 December 1961 when Umkhonto was formed, born out of the mighty mass movements led by the ANC, which had united people in every corner of our land against white minority rule; born out of decades of peaceful struggle for freedom and justice, which had brought nothing but increased violence and oppression; born, finally, out of the people's realisation that the violence of the white racists would have to be met with the revolutionary violence of the masses.
On this, the 20th anniversary of Umkhonto, we recall the words of the Umkhonto manifesto, which has since been written in blood by our fighting cadres across the pages of our history. "The time comes in the life of any nation when there remain only two choices, submit or fight. That time has now come to South Africa. We shall not submit and we have no choice but to hit back by all means within our power in defence of our people, our future and our freedom."
As we look back over these past 20 years, our glorious heroes and martyrs stand out before us, men and women who made the supreme sacrifice for the people's cause, fighters who stood rock solid in the face of fascist brutality, refusing to submit; soldiers who fought in the front line, fearless and firm in their conviction of the certainty of victory.
From the days of the first sabotage campaigns we identify Molife, Mini, Mkaba and others. From the glorious battles of the late sixties, when our comrades fell gallantly on the fields of Zimbabwe en route to South Africa, we recognise (?Patrick Mulawa), Basil February, (?Peter Musongo) and others.
No less prominent are such heroes as Joe Gqabi, Bram Fischer, Lilian Nqobi, Joseph Mdluli, Babla Saloojee, (?Gordon Ndeqebi), the Matola twelve and countless others. Pay tribute to all of them, too many to mention here. We lower our flag of black, green and gold, their names shall become part of our glorious victory and their record a lasting inspiration to our revolutionary struggle.
In commemorating the 20th anniversary of the foundation of Umkhonto we Sizwe, we need to acknowledge that our march forward has been long and difficult. We have suffered many setbacks, perhaps by far the most severe being the capture of the Rivonia leadership by the enemy.
Scores of militants are in enemy prisons. Many of our own people, betraying their own future, have turned traitor and they move in our midst. They are paid by the enemy to help keep us in chains. These agents are growing among the people and within our organisations, day and night. Thanks to them hundreds of our people have been killed, massacred, tortured and imprisoned. Some enemy collaborators have assigned themselves the treacherous task of opposing any form of active mass struggle which could lead to the defeat of the enemy and the liberation of our country.
The road to our freedom is indeed no easy walk but along this arduous road to a liberated, a people's South Africa, there have been thousands who have refused to set aside the punishing load.
In the hangman's dungeon, staring into the face of death, Solomon Mahlangu said: "My blood will nourish the tree which will bear the fruits of freedom." And only recently the national leadership on Robben Island, with more than 18 years of gruelling imprisonment behind them, have declared: "Our morale has never been higher."
Likewise, the morale of our fighting masses and of our People's Army has seldom been higher. The black workers of our country have risen as seldom before. The opposition to increased rentals, mass deportations and ... institutions is scaling new heights. The women and the churches are moving to the front ranks of the struggle.
In the Year of Youth, the young generation is fighting in the front line of popular battles. The people in the Bantustans are becoming restive. Teachers, lecturers, students, progressive journalists and cultural workers are taking their place among the masses and solidarity actions are becoming a growing feature of our mass struggle.
Of supreme importance in this developing mass offensive is the emergence of Umkhonto we Sizwe as an ever-present component of the people's struggle. Born of the people, it is demonstrably of the people. Its strength, like its weakness, is the strength and weakness of the people. Its history and record is a proud example of unity in action.
In the sixties, Umkhonto fought with the people of Zimbabwe. Within South Africa, its cadres often appeared in enemy courts, undaunted and inspiring the people with their courage and confidence as they stood accused of seeking the national and social liberation of the people of South Africa.
The past four years have witnessed an escalation of both popular and armed actions in close combination. We recall the heroism of our cadres in guerrilla attacks which have been associated now with such names as Moroka, Silverton, (Boyson), Durban, East London, Port Elizabeth, the Orange Free State, (Sebasa), Sasol, Pretoria, (Nabufane), Ermelo, several places in the rest of the Transvaal, the Cape, Natal, the Reef and even the Voortrekker Monument.