MEDIA STATEMENT-FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TUESDAY, 13 AUGUST, 2013 HAPPY 87TH BIRTHDAY TO COMRADE FIDEL CASTRO NEHAWU, on behalf its 277 380 members wishes the former Cuban President , Cde Fidel Castro a happy 87th birthday today.Cde Castro is a towering figure, a revolutionary and communist whose role and contribution to the emancipation of oppressed masses in the world will never be forgotten. We salute this world’s finest historical and political figure, a symbol of revolutionary qualities, sacrifice, and internationalism. He is our beloved international hero, who dedicated his life to the emancipation of the world’s masses and socialism. He has stared down the exploitative capitalists with their arrows and proved wrong the notion that socialism does not work. This gallant revolutionary has not shied away from confrontation and led the struggle for socialism without fear. To us, he remains an iconic symbol of struggle for the rights of the oppressed and the exploited, and his prominence transcends race and nationality. South Africans will forever remain thankful and indebted to Cde Castro and the Cubans for the role they played in our fight against apartheid. This year we marked 25 years since the glorious Battle of Cuito Cuanavale that took place in south-eastern Angola from September 1987 to July 1988.That battle pitted the victorious combined forces SWAPO, the Soviet Union, Angolan Army, MK and the internationalist Cuban forces against the Apartheid army. The defeat of the apartheid army and its sponsors at Cuito Canavale represented a turning point in the struggle against apartheid because it broke the apartheid regime’s back and heralded the liberation of both Namibia and South Africa. Our union is proud of our relations with Cuba and we continue to be moved by their internationalism as educated and inspired by Cde Fidel Castro and Che Guevara. To honour this revolutionary we pledge to continue with our campaign for the unconditional release of the Cuban Four {Fernando Gonzalez, Antonion Guerrero, Gerardo Hernandez and Ramon Labanino} ,who are languishing in US prisons. We stand shoulder to shoulder with the Cuban people in opposition to the illegal blockade against Cuba. We commit to intensify our campaigns working with Friends of Cuba Society {FOCUS},ANC ,COSATU and the SACP, for the lifting of this illegal blockade against Cuba and the unfair incarceration of its patriots by Americans. We wish Cde Fidel Castro a long and healthy life. Aluta Continua! Issued by NEHAWU Secretariat Office For further information, please contact: Sizwe Pamla (NEHAWU Media Liaison Officer) at 011 833 2902 - 082 558 5962 or email: [email protected] Visit NEHAWU website: nehawu.org.za
Posted on: Fri, 16 Aug 2013 08:43:36 +0000