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Celebrating the Life and Times of Chris Hani

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Celebrating the Life and Times of Chris Hani a partnership that works Foreword Honouring Hani in uncertain times Executive Mayor, City of Ekurhuleni The 27th anniversary of South African Communist Party stalwart and Umkhonto we Sizwe commander Chris Martin Thembisile Hani takes place in fearful and uncertain times. It finds almost half the world’s population under various forms of restrictive measures adopted to contain the spread of the Covid19 pandemic. South Africa is in the midst of mood both tense and sombre, precious: namely life itself?” an unprecedented lockdown we awaited to be addressed by That sums up the man that which prevented us as the City the then chairman of the ANC Hani was. of Ekurhuleni from hosting the in the Pretoria Witwatersrand commemoration as would have and Vaal region, Tokyo More importantly, without wished. This would have Sexwale. being conscious of it, Hani’s included the opening of the principles and those of a Chris Hani Museum at the I was also at Hani’s funeral a number of other struggle stalwart’s home in Dawn Park week later to listen to ANC heroes who did not live to see on 10 April 2020. But this President Nelson Mandela call democracy underpin South should not prevent us from for calm and restraint and the Africa’s constitution. Most celebrating his memory in our resolve as we were working to notable of these is the Bill of hearts, through virtual means as usher in a democratic order. Rights, which contains rights enabled by technology and These events shaped my desire that Hani believed citizens are through the written words as to honour struggle heroes, entitled to from birth without we do in this special Chris Hani especially those who paid with having to fight for them. From digital edition today. their lives, and I am grateful for an early age, Hani was driven the opportunity to lead the by a desire for a better Hani’s assassination was a process since assuming office treatment of African workers potentially cataclysmic event in August 2016. The process who were exploited and that simultaneously threatened turning Hani’s home into the treated unjustly. His exposure to derail South Africa’s Chris Hani museum, now in its to the racist nature of democracy project, as its final stages, is a profound and successive minority orchestrators had intended, but significant one. governments that shaped his also galvanised the country to belief in human rights as embark on the last leg of the Hani’s most enduring value is contained in the constitution. journey towards the historic that of selflessness and 1994 general election. sacrifice. He is known to have Hani was passionate about and openly declared “I have never preoccupied with eradicating I was 19 at the time of this wanted to spare myself Hunger, promoting good tragic incident and a student at because I feel there are people Health and Housing for all. Mpontseng High School in who are no longer around and These three Hs of Health, Katlehong, I was among the died for this struggle. What Housing and Hunger guide our hundreds of young people who right do I have to hold back, to work as a city and realising poured into Dawn Park when rest, to preserve my health, to them is our tribute to this news of the incident first broke. have time with my family when revolutionary giant, who was We found the scene cordoned there are other people who are granted freedom of the city in off by police before Hani’s no longer alive when they November 2006. body was removed. With the sacrificed what is most a partnership that works 2. Executive Mayor Cllr Mzwandile Masina laying a reef during the previous Chris Hani’s commemoration Our 93 clinics all enjoy ideal which is aimed at stimulating limit our movement and status and are ready to serve as economic activity through observe strict hygiene sites for the National Health tourism. Hani would have measures. Insurance (NHI) and makes us wanted the museum to one of the best regions in stimulate economic activities to If Hani were alive today, his call primary health care in the benefit primarily his to the global leadership would country. On housing, we set neighbouring community of be for calm and solutions in the ourselves the target of Dawn Park but also the wider midst of an epidemic. Hani providing 100 000 during our community of Ekurhuleni. He would call for the term of office and to date, we would want to see the museum strengthening of global public have provided 30 000 houses and the Memorial Park named health systems and and 59 000 serviced stands to in his honour and situated next improvement of universal improve access to housing. As to his grave contribute directly access to health. For South a city, we spend R4 billion towards the creation of jobs, to Africa, he would refuse to allow towards cushioning the poor help fight unemployment in the us to rest on the laurels of against the effects of hunger country. As he often used to global praise we are receiving and poverty and believe this is say “if you want peace, you for our handling of the crisis among the highest levels of must fight for social justice.” and instead call for a rollout of expenditure for the poor and an aggressive screening, indigent. Hani was also a believer in testing and treatment active citizenship and would programme at no cost to the We must maintain and improve expect South Africans to citizens. Post Covid19, he on these standards to truly remain actively engaged with would call for the preservation honour the legacy of fallen the government between of jobs and livelihoods by heroes like Hani, Thomas elections and hold all public strengthening and reviving Nkobi, Bertha Gxowa and representatives, from economies. Margaret Gazo among many councillors to members of others. parliament and the executive, We need his wisdom now more accountable. He would also than when he was brutally The Chris Hani Museum is a expect us to play our part taken away from us. His spirit critical component of whenever called upon, such as lives on. Ekurhuleni’s struggle route, now when we are expected to a partnership that works 3. A struggle icon’s life in words and pictures. The Chris Hani Museum The life and times of SACP 24th March in 2017 before struggle and the negotiated stalwart and liberation struggle being unveiled by former transition for a free and icon Chris Hani are fittingly paid president Jacob Zuma on April democratic South Africa.” The tribute to in the Chris Hani 10 2017. citation from SAHRA reads. It Museum and the Chris Hani tells of his role as leader of monument and Walk of Thomas Nkobi is a former the Luthuli Detachment in the Remembrance respectively Treasurer General of the ANC Wankie Campaign and was located at his home and his who played a key part in the instrumental in the drafting of grave in Dawn Park, a suburb of liberation struggle after joining the “Hani Memorandum” Boksburg in Ekurhuleni. the ANC in 1950. At the time which ultimately led to the The Chris Hani monument in of his death in 1994 at the age Morogoro Conference in 1969 South Park cemetery now of 72, he was an ANC Member which brought about strategic known as the Thomas Nkobi of Parliament. changes within the ANC. Memorial Garden was unveiled at the 2015 anniversary of his “Chris Hani, was a well SAHRA further notes Hani as a death while the South African respected and revered leader strong proponent of the Heritage Resource Agency of Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), peaceful negotiations after (SAHRA) declared his grave and the South African Communist the unbanning of liberation the Chris Hani Memorial and Party and senior ranking ANC movements and played a Walk of Remembrance as a official, who played an critical role in the MK National Heritage site on the important role in the liberation abandoning the armed a partnership that works 4. struggle. “His assassination The Memorial and Walk of Wattville, then through the Hani brought the country to the brink remembrance are characterised Memorial and museum and of civil war that led to Nelson by the use of simple material takes in the Khumalo Street in Mandela’s plea, in what is rich earthy tones to show nearby Thokoza, which has a regarded as a “presidential” capture the essence of the life of memorial in honour of those statement, for calm and for all simplicity that Hani exemplified. who died in intense political South Africans to stand together The Monument consists of the violence in the early 90s. in ensuring a peaceful transition. four pillars of the liberation “The tensions at the time struggle. The Walk of The museum is created from the hastened the CODESA Remembrance is a short compact home that Hani and his negotiations and an agreement meandering route that leads to family made their home in the on a date for the first a Wall of Remembrance for early 90s, when Dawn Park was democratic elections,” the fallen struggle heroes. still a predominantly white citation says of the historical neighbourhood. The house has moment. Ekurhuleni executive Mayor been restored to its original Mzwandile Masina sees the state at the time of Hani’s Finally, the agency notes that his museum and Memorial Park as a passing. Its four bedrooms and gravesite and the Chris Hani critical part of a Struggle route living area now serves as a Memorial and Walk of that can be explored by local tribute to various aspects of Remembrance commemorate and international tourists.
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