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This ceremony is of particular importance as it takes place in the 100th year since the ANC was founded
AMANDLA AMANDLA
The First and Slovo families greatly appreciate the honour you are paying my sister Ruth and brother in law Joe this morning with this torch light celebration
The Firsts are well represented by my wife Lola, my son Jonathan and his wife Joan, and my cousin Jenifer whose mother was a First, but unfortunately all three of Ruth and Joe,s daughters Shawn, Gillian and Robyn Slovo, are resident in London, and could not be present
I have however been in touch with them and at the end of my speech will read an address I received from Gillian
Ruth would be 87 now, Joe 86. Ruth died tragically and brutally at the age of 57, at the hands of the notorious Special Branch of the Police during the Apartheid regime, and Joe, after a triumphant return to South Africa to witness and participate in a most meaningful way in the establishment of democracy after 350 years of totalitarian racist government, became ill very suddenly after his return to South Africa, and his very strong contribution to the establishment and furthering of democracy in our country was cut short prematurely He was 69 when he died
Both Ruth and Joe still had much to offer in stabilising our democracy, and ensuring that it grew along the right path Along with Chris Hani, the ANC lost three of it,s most important , charismatic and influential members ,cut down in the prime of their lives
Although Ruth,s talents were clearly displayed in her writings, which I will deal with later, and Joe,s in the military and strategic areas of ANC activity, and later in governance, Joe also contributed pertinent material in his writings
In 1976 Joe wrote NO MIDDLE ROAD in which he predicted the end of the Apartheid regime ,due to both internal and external factors, and for many reasons ,given in the book, his prophesy proved remarkably accurate
. The drastic downturn in our economy in 1990, and the world wide isolation of South Africa, the growing hostility of external governments and Institutions, an hostility aided in a very meaningful way by the persistent activity of the ANC leaders, in exile, and growing labour unrest and strikes in South Africa, hastened the collapse of the Apartheid regime
Joe was the architect in 1992 of THE SUNSET CLAUSE which proved a brilliant strategy in breaking the deadlock in the negotiations between the ANC and the Nationalist government, and Joe served in Madiba,s Cabinet.He was Housing Minister ..He was ailing at that time and gave up his position as General Secretary of the SACP, replaced by Chris Hani, Joe was then given the title of chairman
Joe came to South Africa from Lithuania in Eastern Europe when he was 8, with his family. His father suffered financial hardship and arrived in South Africa practically penniless His father got a job as a truck driver.
Joe left school at age 16, without matriculating, and took a job .He became involved in Left wing politics at this time. At that young age he organised a strike at his place of business
He enlisted in the Army during the second world war
As a result of his army service, on his return to South Africa ,he was awarded relief from normal entry requirements to University, and studied law at Wits One of his fellow students was Madiba
Joe was an exceptional student and graduated with distinction He became an Advocate ,admitted to the Johannesburg Bar, ,and Joe was involved in many case defending clients against Police and Home Affairs brutality and racist actions. He was also of course heavily involved in ANC matters One of his mentors at the Bar was Bram Fischer ,one of South Africa,s great sons, and a leading member of the Movement
Joe served in a senior position in the ANC and Umkonto we sizwe, was Chief of Staff in the High Command, Chairman of the SACP, the first white member of the ANC National Executive, appointed in Zambia when the ANC was in exile, and prior to that was sent out of SA by the ANC on a special mission. As a result of that action, he luckily avoided arrest at Lillieslief farm, where he was heavily involved in planning sabotage actions against the Apartheid regime .
He spent time on ANC work in Africa ,Europe and then in the UK where he and Ruth lived after Ruth was released from gaol and had left SA, on an exit permit with Shawn, Gillian and Robyn.
Ruth and Joe were very active in ANC work when they lived in London, and memorably and influentially, together with scions of the ANC, like the revered Oliver Tambo, arranged and addressed many stirring rallies held at Trafalgar Square opposite the South African Embassy. The influence that Ruth and Joe acquired through their efforts is illustrated in the photograph you see displayed
This photograph was taken outside their London home, and was awarded Blue Plaque status by the British Heritage Society, a great honour, awarded only to famous people, the plaque stating who lived there and the dates .An added and very significant honour was that Madiba unveiled the plaque at the award ceremony
Ruth,s path was very different, but of course Ruth and Joe shared their deep passion for destroying the odious position that existed in South Africa, and in basic terms had the same political convictions. Joe was more of a political animal than Ruth, but although involved in different aspects of the struggle, both worked tirelessly towards the same goal
My father Julius and mother Tilly were ardent communists. Julius was chairman of the SACP in 1922. Both came from Eastern Europe, my father aged 10, Tilly very young
Ruth and I were born in Johannesburg.
The First house was a Marxist stronghold
The influence of my parents created a strong and positive political interest in Ruth, but as she developed her passion for writing, she took the path of journalism and later became a serious writer.
She was critical of certain communist doctrine and actions, totally focused in the study and analysis of political developments in Africa , and in South Africa was dedicated to the destruction of Apartheid and the establishment of a democracy through the ANC
She studied Social Sciences at Wits, but very soon after graduation became involved as a journalist and worked for The Guardian, a newspaper with a small circulation, but with a strength of content that revealed the atrocities and fascist actions of the government and its supporters and the newspaper became a real thorn in the side of the Apartheid regime
It was banned ,came out under different titles, like New Age and Fighting Talk, but eventually was prevented from publication under any title .Many of the people on these newspapers were arrested and detained
Ruth exposed numerous acts of forced labour,, mainly on farms. Blacks were arrested for petty pass offences, and forced to work on farms, where they were often brutally treated She was a leading force in all movements opposed to the workings of the Apartheid government
Ruth was in solitary confinement for four months was released, left South Africa on an exit permit with her 3 daughters, set up home in London and wrote 117 days dealing with her incarceration
It was in London where her talents as a writer came to fruition. Although, with Joe, still very involved in ANC work, Ruth took a University post, and wrote prolifically
She wrote 10 books of note, 7 on Africa, particularly on Libya, South West Africa and Mozambique, and Power in Africa( Barrel of a gun) which dealt with revolts and new Regimes in Africa
One of the important statements in that book analysed and condemned corruption post independence by certain African leaders who she writes "spoke of poverty but rioted in luxury"
There is no doubt that had Ruth,s life not ended so prematurely, her contribution to Literature considerable and influential as it was, would have been even greater
Her book on South West Africa is considered the most incisive analysis of the country and the plight of the Herero people She was also Researcher and Editor of Madiba,s "No easy walk to Freedom" Mbeki,s "The peasant revolt" and Oginga Odinga,s "Not yet Uhuru"
She was appointed as Director of the Centre for African Studies at the Eduardo Mondlane University in Maputo, made a great contribution to furthering education in Mozambique, and was assassinated whilst in her office at the University, killed by a letter bomb sent by the Special Branch in South Africa
Her contribution to literature was cut short very prematurely
Ruth,s reputation as a political analyst and critic has received worldwide acclaim
Both Ruth and Joe,s contribution to overthrowing the Apartheid regime has been recognised. Apart from roads and streets and townships named after both ,created in Ruth,s name is a chair at Rhodes University, an annual award ceremony at Wits University at which a promising writer is honoured, and a Trust at Jeppe Girls High school where Ruth matriculated, where each year a number of talented 12 year olds are given scholarships for 5 years senior school study
She also has a state of the arts Marine Research vessel named after her, and in Kimberley, the main Provincial debating hall is THE RUTH FIRST HALL
But highlighting these acknowledgements Ruth and Joe would consider boastful, but I have licence as a very proud brother and brother -in-law but of course the important aspect is that both Ruth and Joe were pioneers of our democracy, and will be remembered as such
It is essential that we preserve this democracy, and take notice of the struggle heroes actions and desires, and realise that the ANC was formed to protect the dignity and welfare of the underprivileged and persecuted, and to strive towards a Society where all South Africans have equal rights, adequate housing, good education and health guidance and assistance of an acceptable nature, and that all able-bodied persons are in work, and are suitably rewarded
The 100 years of the ANC existence and growing influence over those years and its eventual triumph, the quality of its leadership from inception, the strength and courage of its members, is unique.
This heritage is at risk, and it is the task of the present leaders and motivators in the Movement to end internal conflict ,restore correct values ,stamp out corruption and all other forms of elitism , for the sake of the country, and indeed for the future of the ANC
I now wish to read the message I received from Shawn, Gillian and Robyn Slovo
"We, Ruth and Joe,s daughters, greet you from London. We are sorry we cant be there with you to pay homage to their lives and contribution to the Struggle
One thing is certain: We know if Ruth and Joe were still with us, they would be passionately engaged in trying to ensure that politicians and governments work not for their own enrichment ,but for the enrichment of all. They would have continued working for racial equality ,the rule of law ,free expression, and a government that operates without corruption or nepotism. We hope that in its 100th year, the ANC, the organisation to which they dedicated their lives, will renew its determination to live by those same principles"
In conclusion I thank you for honouring Ruth and Joe in this memorable way
AMANDLA AMANDLA