Slovo’s role in Struggle saluted by many
SOUTH Africans will once again be reminded of the important role that Joe Slovo played in the liberation Struggle at a commemorative event in Soweto today.
Following the 1994 elections, Slovo was appointed Minister for Housing in then-President Nelson Mandela’s government, until his death on January 6, 1995 of cancer.
Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) spokesperson Richard Mamabolo said they supported the upcoming 27th Joe Slovo Commemorative event at Avalon Cemetery.
“We join millions of South Africans from all walks of life in remembering and saluting the immense contributions made by comrade Slovo in our Struggle to liberate ourselves from the tyranny of apartheid and colonialism of a special type.”
Mamabolo said Slovo had left a legacy that should continue to be cherished as he made an immense contribution in theorising our Struggle.
Mamabolo said commemorating Joe Slovo marked out his extraordinary lifelong devotion as a strategic thinker who not only served in the National Consultative Committee that led to the unpretentious Congress of the People in 1955 – leading to the drafting of the Freedom Charter – but also as a comrade who helped to write and articulate the Morogoro “Strategy and Tactics” which, to this day, remains a referral point as one of the most important moments of our liberation Struggle history.
“Slovo is also remembered as a comrade who, through his involvement in the founding and active participation in the manoeuvres of Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), served as its Chief of Staff.
“As we continue to confront contemporary challenges faced by workers and the working class of our country and beyond, we should not lose sight of the horizon but draw strength from the aptitude and bravery that Joe Slovo and his generation of leaders demonstrated under difficult circumstances.”