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12 May 2007

Programme Director
The family of Moroe
Comrades and friends

I stand here to pay tribute to a great revolutionary of our time, on behalf of the Free State Provincial Government and all the people of the Free State. In doing so, we join many more of her own comrades and combatants and many others whose lives she helped to transform through her selfless contribution to the struggle.

We all say in unison, that she whom we salute here today, has spent all her life working hard to ensure the freedom of black people in general and Africans in particular. She dedicated all of her life in the service of our glorious movement the African National Congress (ANC) and during her lifetime, fought very hard to ensure that we do not turn the ANC and our struggle into something they are not.

We are here to tell a story of a soldier of our united people's army, a combatant of our glorious army Umkhonto We Sizwe, an underground operative of our movement and a student leader and organiser. Surely, you will all agree that a cadre so highly decorated is rare to come by. Yet it is saddening that it is precisely people like Major Moroe, whose track record in our struggle and the service of our people, are never on the front queues of seeking rewards from struggle.

It is people like her, whose only reward is the knowledge that their humble contribution has helped to free our country from the bondages of Apartheid Colonialism. True cadres like this one, never seek individual glory, never demand recognition, never get intoxicated by the trappings of power and most importantly, they never forget that they are mere servants of the people in their struggle for freedom and justice.

True cadres like this one, never forgets that their greatness is the personification of the greatness of our ordinary masses on the ground who are unsung and unheralded yet continue to toil day and night to consolidate our freedom. It is for this reason that we are right in declaring this comrade a heroine of our struggle.

Some will not understand why we call her a heroine of our struggle. But the millions of our people whom she served for all her life know this for sure that whom that we salute today was indeed a rare jewel to find.

The people that she served and died for understand that she stood in the forefront of great warriors for freedom. Warriors to whom fear had no meaning and death was merely an obstacle that stood in the way of our pursuit for freedom. The people that she served and died for, will understand that in her short life, she walked the journey that many who have twice or thrice the gift of her life, have failed to walk.

Some will also not understand why we mourn her death. They will also not understand why we celebrate her life. But again we know, that her people, those that celebrate freedom, peace and justice understand that hers was not a life lived in vain. It was a life lived in the pursuit of the noblest cause in the world, the liberation of humankind. We all echo the basic truth that a life like this is not only mourned. It is celebrated because what it has achieved will remain with us forever, and forever reminding us that at one stage in our lives, we were once gifted with the presence of a great illuminator gracing our midst

Programme Director, ladies and gentlemen, dear comrades

What are the lessons to be learnt from a life so well lived?

The lessons are that whilst we are still alive, we must endeavour to provide objective, constructive and truthful leadership to the masses of our people. We must endeavour to remain humble in the honour and trust bestowed upon us by the people who elect and placed us in these positions of power and responsibility. We must remember to be answerable and accountable to the people who made us what and who we are.

We must learn never to betray the trust of our people. We must learn never to take advantage of their economic standing by offering them short-lived relief in exchange for their uncritical loyalty.

We must teach our people that like Comrade Mantele demonstrated, membership of the ANC does not entitle anybody to material advantage and privilege and does not impose on any of us the arrogance we so freely display as a result of respect shown unto us. Our people must share with us the same understanding that our struggle is about the total liberation of our people and it is not about the pursuit of the material and political ambitions of the certain groups of people within the movement.

We must instil and sustain a culture of discipline because lack of discipline can make a militant and revolutionary organisation degenerates into chaos!

Programme Director, those of us who have been mandated by our people to serve them in their government, must always remember that such a privilege is not because of our individual greatness. It is because many of our comrades have dedicated their entire lives to bring about that possibility. Many of them have perished in the service of their people whilst many others roam our streets forgotten and unrecognised. Our duty therefore is to build lasting monuments in memory and in the honour of those who through their blood and sweat has brought about a democratic dispensation in our lifetime.

The most significant monument will be the creation of a society where a better life for all is not only a possibility but a reality. Where our people have access to services that enhances the quality of their lives; where our children and women can express their true potential and talents without any subjective inhibiting factors; where our workers can operate in an environment where their rights are protected but where they also feel proud to partner their government to bring about economic development and prosperity. This lasting monument will be realised when our elders, women children and the disabled can go about their day to day business free from the fear of being violated and abused.

We have a responsibility to build and protect this lasting monument by making sure that everything we do everyday, brings us closer to a society as envisaged in the visionary policy perspective of the Freedom Charter.

To the Moroe family, to all the MK combatants, to all our comrades and friends, allow us to quote the poet Keorapetse Kgositsile writing about Duma Nokwe when he said that death is only but a physical boundary that separate bodies and not spirits and when he said of Moss Kotane that he was one of those people who found his hereafter among the people.

We say the same of this gallant fighter of our people that death has only separated our bodies but our spirits shall forever be bound by our common love of our people. We say that indeed you are one of those rare people who found her hereafter right here among your people!

Comrade Ike and the rest of the family, today we bow down and salute because a great warrior lies in front of us. We wish that the family be comforted that they have raised a heroine of our liberation who we are truly proud of her accomplishment.

A jewel of our crown has fallen and yet she proceeds to join the richly decorated galaxy of heroines and heroes, combatant in the struggle for freedom.

Today, we must allow her the rest that she deserves.

She has fought a good life and at the conclusion of her life she can say like the 19th century Cuban Revolutionary, poet and author, Jose Marti that:

"I have lived
It was a duty that I pledged my arms
And not once did the sun drop down behind the hills
That did not see my struggle and my victory…"

We say farewell our major, our soldier, our sister and our comrade

We shall keep up the fight!

Issued by: Office of the Premier, Free State Provincial Government
12 May 2007
Source: Free State Provincial Government (http://www.fs.gov.za)