PAC of Azania wishes maSobukwe a happy 90th birthday
THE Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) of Azania, speaking on behalf of the multitudes of fellow compatriots, extends our most heartfelt wishes to Ma Veronica Sobukwe on her 90th birthday with warmest regards within the realm of our human capability.
We as a nation are compelled to recognise that you Ma Sobukwe are our first and remaining living link to the most brilliant African mind the continent hasproduced, our beloved late and revered founding president of the PAC, Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe. And consequently, your 90th birthday represents an epochal achievement in a life that has literally witnessed incredible changes that have extended across two separate millennia.
You give us hope Ma Sobukwe, because your perseverance has been matched by your resilience.
Your stoic strength as a true Mother of our Nation has never wavered, nor has it been self-serving in seeking undue attention, but to the contrary, you have remained a committed mother, loving grandmother and a model of composure of wisdom that can only be obtained by the passage of time.
We recognise that so many of the features of today that we take for granted in a world that frankly moves too fast for its own benefit were not there for when you were born, or growing up as a child, and even, as a young woman crossing the boundaries into adulthood. Cellphones, social media, common place indoor electricity or plumbing amenities or complex infrastructural highways and transcontinental travel were not commonplace as they are today.
However, we do recognise that the social structures that gave the African incredible strength were there and had their roots deeply planted in the mores and outlook of Azanian people, which were essential in your ability to adapt to and navigatethe ever increasing and rapidly changing world swirling around you.
In the face of blistering oppression, you endured Ma Sobukwe. In the heat of injustice you took a principled stand, not only for your community, but for all Africans in our quest for universal suffrage and fundamental freedoms.
Your endurance, courage and humanity remained fixed to the extent that you rose above those around you and attracted an African giant, Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe, and together you had an unforgettable hand in being the author of a nation’s fight for history and freedom, and consequently its destiny.
You are our hope, and example, that by staying committed, and remaining consistent, that dignity, courage and strength of purpose will be more than enough, not only to have survived but to have thrived through any adversity that stood in your way.
All of these characteristics cannot be separated from the unshakable faith that you were truly made in God’s image, and as such were given an unbreakable signature in your DNA that ensured your longevity to see this wonderful age.
We cannot close without mentioning, that it is our commitment, from now onward as the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania, to laud, celebrate and to consistently raise the profiles of the late Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe and yourself, as a testament of indigenous resilience that warrants that you be given the respect and veneration by the Azanian masses, the media at large and by the people across Africa for the role you’ve played, the dignity you have displayed and the achievement you have accomplished for all of us, and our respectful response in giving thanks to you in reaching this seminal age.
Happy Birthday Ma Sobukwe and may you enjoy many more, because you are truly a living legend that walks among us as a nation! Narius Moloto PAC Secretary-General