12 December 2006
Next year, on 8th January, the African National Congress will celebrate its 95th anniversary.
Four months later, on 18 May, we will commemorate the 95th anniversary of the birth of Walter Max Ulyate Sisulu, a stalwart of our movement and one of the principal architects of our democracy.
It is therefore and appropriate that SASCO should initiate this lecture in honour of one of the giants of our liberation struggle. As the book Ecclesiastes demands of us: Let us praise men.
Throughout his life, Walter Sisulu worked tirelessly, selflessly - and without consideration for his own advancement or prestige - to advance the cause of the people of South Africa.
At critical points in the course of our struggle, Walter Sisulu played a decisive and definitive role.
He was among the new generation of young leaders who formed the ANC Youth League, and initiated the ANC into new forms and modes of struggle - directly confronting the system of white minority rule and the apartheid government.
He was among the generation of leaders responsible for the formation of the alliance of the ANC with the Communist Party and SACTU. They broadened the movement for national liberation, by ensuring that it includes all sections of our population, African, White, Coloured and Indian, giving birth to the Congress Movement.
Sisulu was the first full-time Secretary General of the ANC, taking office at a time when the organisation was short of the resources required to effectively run the organisation and implement its programmes. He took on this onerous responsibility in the knowledge that the organisation would not always be able to pay his salary.
It was characteristic of the person that was Walter Sisulu that he would readily subordinate his own personal interests to the broader interests of the movement. He died without riches, but rich in the affection and love freely given by his people.
Walter Sisulu's intervention in crucial moments in the history of our movement were particularly significant. He did not do this through grandiose displays of political rhetoric, but through the persuasive effects of his deep commitment. He would not force his views on others, but would seek to influence them through political engagement.
He had a keen sense of political strategy, tactics and principle, and this earned him the respect of his comrades. His counsel on critical matters of the day was frequently sought, and he was able to cast a clear light on even the most challenging and complex of issues.
Sisulu played an important guiding role in the development of the relationship between the ANC and other political structures in the decision to form Umkhonto we Sizwe and embark on an armed struggle against an increasingly violent and repressive state.
Even during the course of nearly three decades of imprisonment, Sisulu continued to provide clear political insight and counsel to the many cadres and leaders of the movement who sought it. He helped to educate and conscientise several generations of political prisoners who passed through Robben Island, thereby contributing to the development of the democratic movement.
Many were impressed and inspired by his vision and capacity for critical thought, by his genuine humility, and by his unassuming manner. His commitment to the cause of the people, and his unselfish determination to do everything possible to further that cause, helped keep alive - even during the darkest days of apartheid - the traditions, culture and values of the African National Congress.
After his release and the unbanning of the liberation movements, Comrade Walter agreed to take on the challenging position of ANC Deputy President. At a time in their lives when most people would long have been comfortable in retirement, Comrade Sisulu worked with the drive and vigour that had always characterised his contribution towards the achievement of a negotiated settlement and the creation of a united and democratic South Africa.
Even after the end of his term of office in December 1994 - at a time when he could rightly claim to have achieved freedom in his lifetime - Comrade Walter continued to work for the organisation, spending time at the ANC's Johannesburg headquarters, undertaking organisational responsibilities, and providing guidance to those who sought it. He was a remarkable listener, a habit we have forsaken. Everyone who sought his company was special. We all felt special after an encounter with him.
We remember Walter Sisulu's profound contribution on the occasion of this memorial lecture not only so that we may know his deeds and pay tribute to his memory. We remember his contribution because it provides such a valuable and enduring guide for how we need to conduct ourselves and conduct our struggle as we work to advance the vision of the Freedom Charter and the creation of the new society to which Walter Sisulu dedicated his life.
We find ourselves, as a nation, faced with many real challenges. Central among these is the eradication of poverty, seriously dealing with employment and the redress of gross inequalities based on wealth.
Like the founding fathers (the mothers came later) of the ANC in 1912, Comrade Sisulu had a life-long hatred of tribalism, to which he added chauvinism and xenophobia. If we are to salute his memory, we ought to bear in mind that the richness of South African life arises from the multicultural society we have - our diversity in language, culture and religion is our strength, regardless of whether contribution comes from citizens or immigrants.
Related to these challenges is the important task of developing our country's human potential - creating conditions through the provision of accessible, quality education and skills development for all our people to reach their potential and to contribute the reconstruction and development of our nation. We can then say that we are living up to the passionate appeal of the Preamble to our Constitution: improve the quality of life of all citizens and free the potential of each person.
Developing our country's human potential also requires that we improve the conditions under which our people live. They need to have adequate shelter, clean water and healthy sanitation, electricity, roads, clinics, safe communities. We need to tackle diseases that affect our people, including those related to conditions of poverty and underdevelopment. These include the HIV and AIDS epidemic, the most serious challenge, malaria, tuberculosis, and preventable diseases that cause high rates of mortality among children. We need also to work together to prevent deaths due to unnatural causes, such as road accidents, homicide and drug abuse.
In responding to these challenges, we would do well to learn from the steady, meticulous manner in which Walter Sisulu responded to even the most daunting of tasks. We need to learn from his clarity of vision, and from his determination that at all times the interests of the most poor and marginalised in society should be foremost in our thinking and planning.
We would do well to recall the idea of the mandate given to our movement and recall that he always promoted and upheld within the movement. We would do well to recall also the tradition of democratic debate and decision-making, and adherence to the decisions of the collective, which he championed. We should also do what we can to perpetuate the practice of reviewing and analysing all our policies, positions and programmes to ensure they are serving the purpose for which they were designed. To shout down proposals which take into account that the world has changed in the last 20 years is to betray the legacy of Walter Sisulu.
As we reflect on the life and times of Walter Sisulu, we are bound to acknowledge that he was a leader of the movement even during its most difficult and challenging times. The fact that the organisation emerged stronger and more united from these periods is a result of the approach of leaders like Walter Sisulu.
As we confront the challenges of a new era of struggle - an era that has come about precisely because of the achievements of the people and their movement - we should look to the experiences of Sisulu and the leaders of his generation in deciding how best to confront these challenges.
We need to learn the lessons that they taught about the primacy of the unity of the forces for fundamental democratic transformation led by the ANC and including all progressive organs in the various sectors of society.
Without such unity of purpose and a clear programme, the forces of reaction would be able to halt the progress of the democratic revolution and reverse the gains we have made. Without such unity and coherence, we will not be able to respond adequately to the expectations that the masses of our people have.
We need to learn from these giants of our movement about the need to protect, nurture and deepen the values of the Movement that have proved so central in advancing the interests of the people. We must learn from these leaders that whatever the difficulties of the moment, and whatever tensions may arise from contemporary challenges, it is critical that we not be diverted from the task of strengthening these values of solidarity as the core of the broader mass democratic movement.
Whatever differences may exist among the components of our movement - some are real and others are perceived - must be addressed politically, in a principled manner and in the long-standing traditions of our movement, which has always recognized the leadership role of the ANC. As independent organisations, we have a right and responsibility each to articulate our policies and positions. However, we should make every effort to desist from public attacks that may undermine our unity and cohesion. What I personally realize from Walter Sisulu is the need for the discreet use of language, of the quiet voice and real respect for the legitimately elected structures of our movement.
We must learn from these leaders that there is no substitute for rigorous internal democratic debate. We must learn that every member of a collective must be free to express his or her views without fear or favour. We must also learn that once a decision has been taken, the views of the collective are binding on all the members of the collective. And all members of the collective are bound by organisational discipline to promote and uphold them.
We must learn from Walter Sisulu that membership of a progressive movement is a profound responsibility. It is not a platform for self-promotion or enrichment. It is not a route to fame or glory. Public service is the route to progress in our movement, not public relations and the ostentatiousness of vulgarity wealth.
Instead it is a solemn undertaking to serve the movement tirelessly and selflessly. It is a commitment to place the interest of the collective above the interests of the individual. Above all, it is a firm commitment to always pursue the best interests of the masses of the people, particularly the poor and marginalised.
In conclusion, we must again congratulate SASCO for choosing to honour and celebrate through this lecture the life, work and contribution of Walter Sisulu to the struggle for democracy.
As we do so, we are bound not only to learn from his example, but also to commit ourselves, once again, to work tirelessly and with determination towards the realisation of the vision of a truly free, democratic, non-racial and non-sexist society to which Walter Sisulu dedicated his entire life.
I thank you.