Umkhonto We Sizwe's 50th Anniversary A Journey Of Mixed Feelings

It is well documented that the tipping point, for the turn to armed struggle, was provided by the Sharpeville massacre of 1960, when protests against the pass laws were met with brute force by the police. The government then declared the State of emergency, detained thousands without trial and banned both the ANC and the PAC.
The ANC then declared – there was no longer any legal space for it to organize non-violent resistance to apartheid and the need for armed resistance was justified thus the formation of the uMkhonto We Sizwe (Spear of the Nation). It was indeed, in 1961 December 16 when symbolic sabotage and the distribution of pamphlets announcing the formation of MK took place, thanks to our senior commanders.

May we salute those who gave their all as MK members living or dead, remembered or forgotten for us to be privilege to be where and what we are today. “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 but we shall fight back by all our means within our power for the liberation of our motherland….Wawuthinta uMkhonto!” so sad our manifesto.

Hailed as heroes by many South Africans, demonized as evil terrorists by others, uMkhonto we Sizwe is now history – a journey of mixed feelings. The 50th Anniversary of this people based organization will take place at Orlando Stadium on the 16th of December 2011 as a build up to the 100 Centenary celebration of its mother body – ANC.
Cadres of uMkhonto we Sizwe are unique, multi - purposed, politically shrewd people based combatants who have no interest of their own but the people. They are characterized by an unquestionable loyalty to the people and the ANC. Their courage was not defined by an ordinary oxford dictionary for it was inherited from the Khoi and the San who had the courage to draw in the Kango Caves of the Western Cape stern warnings about the arrival of settlers.

It was inherited from the 100 frontier wars fought by the Xhosas day in and day out in defence of their tribal territory. It was inherited from the battle of Isandlwana that even touched the heart of Karl Marx who said “The Zulus did something that no other European army has ever done, only armed with spears and shields defeated the most powerful army of the time – the British.”

This courage was also inherited from the bravery of the Tswana people under the leadership of Kgosi Mogale wa Mogale who led his people against the settlers at Thaba tsa Batswana. It is this bravery that led the Luthuli detachment during the Wankie/Sipolilo Campaigns. It was also visible in the faces of 30 MK operatives hanged during 1961alone. Source (TRC,NPA and the Missing Person Task Team)

All successor detachments, June 16, Madinoga, Moncada and the Young Lions, took the spears of the fallen heroes with the same courage displayed by amabutho eSandlwane to the surprise of the ANC NEC and the PMC (Political – Military Council) in Zambia. It is a fact that the ANC in exile survived and became a force to reckon with as a result of its armed wing MK. These operatives were found in all structures of the movement and will work tirelessly in fulfilling their daily tasks be it the security of OR Tambo, cooking for other comrades, propaganda work or international mobilization, all these tasks were executed with exceptional dedication and loyalty.

In other words, MK participated in all the four pillars of our struggle and the ANC was stable, cohesive and focused. Albeit I arrived in 1985, I could sense that I was joining a unique organization. My name was changed to Solomon Nxasane and Alfred Ndlovu for operations. I felt that I am no longer a COSAS member since I was 14 when I opted to join MK and I remember when I met Moses Mabhida in Mozambique how he actually begged me to go to school. I am sorry to say I disobeyed him and I do not regret an inch of that decision. Joining MK made me realize the essence of living and giving.

I know and believe that most of my comrades both senior and junior in our MK hierarchy will agree with me that this 50th Anniversary is a journey of mixed feelings because:

• MK was highly infiltrated and as a result many young souls were lost unnecessarily along the way
• Those who infiltrated us are occupying senior positions in government/ANC and continue to sideline genuine former MK
• The repatriation of the remains of our comrades who remain buried in foreign countries seems not to be a priority of government
• The modern, rich and powerful ANC is led by those who have no feelings for former MK except their families and relatives thus the current status quo
• Those of MK who have made it have forgotten other combatants and have been swallowed by principles of self – enrichment and profit maximization
• MK members of the ANC have distanced themselves from us thus there are no ANC NEC resolutions on how to address the plight of ex – combatants
• Gate keeping in the ANC branches, Zones, Regions and Provinces isolates even ex – combatants and steals away from them the only thing they cherish the ANC thus they feel isolated and dumped
• For the past 17 years the ANC and its led government has nothing to show the ex – combatants except the failed integration process into SANDF and the establishment of the Department of Defence and Military Veterans
• For the past 17 years a reasonable number of former MK still scavenge for food, remain home and jobless, unemployed, sick with no medical aid or attention with neighbours asking them everyday – Nanithi nenzani? Bukani thina esingalwanga siniphethe. (what did you think you were doing? Look at us who never fought, we are leading you.)

We as former MK and ANC leadership that led us in exile have forgotten the advise of OR Tambo who said “Nize ningalahlani ngoba bayofika eningabazi bathi babekhona balwa futhi bazabalaza. Nize nibabheke ngoba bayoniphatha kodwa nibahloniphe niba thande kodwa nize ningabathembi.” (Angola 1989)
It is my observation that the South African revolution is over for we are more worried about the opposition not our people. Our people are not stupid they shall stop to give their votes to the ANC because the modern ANC is being led, at all levels, by those who do not have their interest at heart, however counter – revolution may not be ruled out. The struggle for the sole of the ANC is more complicated than ever before.

According to Lenin- “In individual regions and countries the counter – revolution may triumph for a longer or shorter period while progressive developments may be retarded and even thrown back…But (it is) not impossible, for it is undialetical, unscientific and theoretically wrong to regard the course of world history as smooth and always in a forward direction without occasional gigantic leaps back.”

The 50th Anniversary therefore will be a show of class in the history of the ANC. The minority of MK who have made it will be driving state of the art vehicles whilst the majority will be bused into the stadium and be fed just like ordinary south Africans in government functions. I wonder what happened to our slogan that kept us together in Angola – The Pace of the slowest. We would run 6hours non stop with female comrades in front from whom the whole company or platoon will take the pace. The fitness of the platoon or company was always the same. But today the weakest is overtaken and left behind to tire and die by the same comrades who claim to be ANC and MK.
Umkhonto we Sizwe was arguably the last of the great liberation armies of the 20th century – but it never got to march triumphant into Pretoria. A small communist - trained group of revolutionaries committed to the seizure of power, they found their principals engaged in negotiated settlement with the enemy and were disbanded thereafter…..it operations are likely to be remembered as a just war conducted with considerable restraint. (Janet Cherry, umkhonto we sizwe:4/2011)

It is up to an individual to attend both the 50th Anniversary and the 100 years of the ANC but first as individuals we must define what we are celebrating for our people might not be thinking from the same port. May we celebrate these events without forgetting those who died – AMANDLA!

“Developing a communist attitude to labour in all members of the society is the central issue of educational work. Labour for the benefit of society, be it manual or mental, deserves respect and honour.” Communist Manifesto.