South Africa: Oration By President Zuma at Albertina Sisulu Funeral

South African Government (Pretoria)

Jacob Zuma

11 June 2011

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We have gathered to celebrate the life of an outstanding patriot whose name has become synonymous with our struggle for freedom, justice, human rights and human dignity.

One of the most steadfast, dignified and disciplined pillars of our struggle has fallen, an era has ended, and the nation is devastated, but we are proud to be associated with Mama Albertina Nontsikelelo Sisulu.

We are laying to rest a stalwart and mother of the nation, who combined resilience and fortitude in fighting colonial oppression and apartheid, with compassion for the poor and the downtrodden.

We are bidding farewell to a national heroine who produced many cadres of the liberation movement, and shaped our political thought and action in many ways.

We are paying tribute today not just to the wife of our beloved leader Isithwalandwe Walter Sisulu, uXhamela. She was a leader in her own right - a founding co-president of the United Democratic Front and former Deputy President of the ANC Women's League.

Your Excellencies,

Compatriots and friends,

Scores of people attended memorial services throughout the country this week in Mama Sisulu's honour. The high numbers indicate her standing amongst her people.

Many, including leaders of opposition political parties made the time to sign condolence books to declare their respect for this remarkable leader.

A lot has been said in these memorial services, prayer meetings and the condolence books. All messages confirm what our father, President Nelson Mandela said about Mama Sisulu.

She was "wise and wonderful".

Your excellencies,

Compatriots,

BuaNews

President Jacob Zuma pays tribute to Albertina Sisulu at her funeral.

In just a few months, the liberation movement that was so dear to Mama Sisulu's heart, the ANC, will celebrate its centenary, joined by the African continent and many friends around the world. The celebrations will remind the world of a century of selfless struggle.

When we speak of the organisation's selfless struggle, Mama Sisulu's name stands out as a shining example.

In the book "Long Walk to Freedom", President Mandela recounts that ANC stalwart Anton Lembede, warned the young bride when she married Tata Walter Sisulu, that great man we are proud to call our leader, our father and our national hero was already married to the struggle.

Indeed, Mama Sisulu married the liberation movement.

Rather than be overwhelmed by her husband's political role, she embraced her new found struggle family with open arms.

Many of today's senior leaders in government, politics and business matured under her guidance, care and love. She was their mother and their pillar of strength.

Her neighbours here in Soweto have testified that she was their mother too, always available to assist, always ready to provide wise counsel and love.

And her neighbours in Linden have spoken fondly of her wonderful personality and her humanity. She was their mother too.

Women, workers, youth, the homeless, professionals, the rural poor, the nursing fraternity and ordinary folk - all declare that she was their mother and their leader.

Very few people can be said to have served their country and people with dedication, commitment, sacrifice, loyalty, respect, selflessness and patriotism like mama Sisulu has done.

Very few can hope to attract such an outpour of love nationwide, which demonstrates that she was unique in every respect.

She taught us so much about leadership and ubuntu. She upheld many values that we must internalize in our own lives and behaviour.

From her we learned that you can be a leader and still respect others in actions and deeds regardless of their station in life or status.

When we say working together we can do more, we are endorsing lessons from leaders such as Mama Sisulu.

She was inclusive in her leadership style and believed in bringing together all structures of the mass democratic movement to consolidate the fight against apartheid.

She worked closely with the legal fraternity and counted people like George Bizos, Arthur Chaskalson and others as close friends.

She worked closely with the clergy in the fight against apartheid.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Sister Bernard Ncube and leaders in the South African Council of Churches and Catholic Bishops Conference can testify that indeed, here lies a woman who has left an indelible mark in the history of our nation.

She also supported families of detainees through the Detainees Parent Support Committee.

The labour movement and education sector also enjoyed her unwavering support. She was active in the establishment of the National Education Crisis Committee and supported the emergence of the national health workers union.

She also applauded and supported the formation of Cosatu.

Indeed, she was wise, and wonderful.

She taught us that women have an important role to play in the struggle.

She played a significant role in the formation of the Federation of the South African Women in 1954, which brought women from all walks of life together, black and white.

Mama Sisulu also played a leading role in the historic Women's March on the Union Buildings in 1956, joining 20 000 women in protest against the oppressive pass laws.

She was an accomplished political strategist. During the period 1979 to 1981, she recruited a group of young women and directed them to revive the Federation of South African Women.

During the time of the release of Dorothy Nyembe from prison, Mama Sisulu convened a meeting of Francis Baard, Florence Mkhize, Amina Cachalia, Nellie Jebeliza, Mildred Lesia amongst others and began the process of establishing provincial women's organizations.

This was a strategic move to ensure that in the event of the banning of one structure, others would continue to operate.

She wanted to prevent a total collapse of women's organizations.

Mama Sisulu also viewed motherhood as strength and used it to organize women.

We recall that when there was talk of conscription for Indian and Coloured youth into the apartheid South African Defence Force, she remarked:

"It (apartheid regime) can have as many armies but the time is up, the patience of the people has been exhausted now. We have mothers here, black and white, mothers who know what it is to bring a child into this world, mothers who know what hardships they have endured. Are we as mothers going to allow a government to plunge our country into a bloodbath?".

We must learn from Mama Sisulu the need to continue promoting non-racialism, social cohesion and inclusiveness.

Having been part of the drawing up of the Freedom Charter in 1955, Mama participated in the cementing of the seeds of non-racialism in our country and in the congress movement.

The clause that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black and white, later found its way into the country's Constitution, making it the responsibility of every South African to promote non-racialism, social cohesion and unity.

It is a heartrending coincidence that we are bidding farewell to Mama on the first anniversary of the start of the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup.

On this day last year, the country displayed what Mama Sisulu had been striving for all her life. South Africans, black and white, joined hands to ensure the success of the soccer tournament.

We witnessed unprecedented explosions of patriotism and endless national celebrations. We all felt very proud to be South Africans, and we have no doubt that as a nation, we made our mother very proud as well.

Indeed the nonracial, prosperous and equal society described in the Freedom Charter, which Mama Sisulu so believed in, is achievable if we work together.

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