Editorial – Comment

Celebrating 40 years of a great revolutionary: Ernesto Che Guevara.Silumko Nondwangu, general secretary 

In his farewell letter to Fidel Castro on the 1st April 1965, Che said;

“……..Other nations of the world summon my modest efforts of assistance.

I can do that which is denied you due to your responsibility as the head of Cuba, and the time has come for us to part.

You should know that I do so with a mixture of joy and sorrow….I carry to new battlefronts the faith that you taught me, the revolutionary spirit of my people, the feeling of fulfilling the most sacred of duties: to fight against imperialism wherever it may be.

This is a source of strength, and more that heals the deepest wounds”

He was captured by a Rangers Unit of the Bolivian Army on October 8 1967, whilst carrying out revolutionary work against international imperialism, and was murdered the following day.

The account of his death is captured in the notes by a CIA agent:“Che’s final battle commences in Quebradal del Yuro, Simon Cuba (Willy) Sarabia, a Bolivian miner, leads the rebel group.

Che is behind him and is shot in the leg several times. Sarabia picks up Che and tries to carry him away from the line of fire.

The firing starts again and Che’s beret is knocked off. Sarabia sits Che on the ground so he can return the fire.

Encircled at less than ten yards distance, the Rangers concentrate their fire on him, riddling him with bullets. Che attempts to keep firing, but cannot keep his gun up with only one arm.

He is hit again on his right leg, his gun is knocked out of his hand and his right forearm is pierced…..Che is taken a prisoner…..Rodriguez enters the schoolhouse to tell Che of the orders from the Bolivian high command.

Che understands and says, 'It is better like this… I never should have been captured alive'….”

What is the message here?That revolutionaries all over the world, be it Cuba, Cambodia, and many other centres of the world, carried out this task as a sacrifice expecting no material or personal benefits at the end.

In our country when the majority of our people decided that they would challenge the apartheid minority regime, they did so expecting no personal material gains for themselves, but a revolutionary task to free our people from the bondages of racial and economic exploitation.

When we serve in the basic formation of workers, the trade unions, both in our elected and appointed capacities, we all said, ‘we will serve no other interests, but those of our members. We will expect no material nor personal gain in return, but the satisfaction that indeed we have made our smallest contribution to the betterment of workers' lives and the broader working class.

At this moment, when the mandate of leadership ends at local level, followed by regions in the 1st quarter of 2008, and National Elections towards the end of next year, certain basic principles are expected to be carried out by those who elect, and those who stand for elective positions, namely:That we will act and conduct ourselves in a manner that does not compromise the basic principles of our organisation, and in terms of the Constitution, as amended at the Numsa Mini National Congress, 2005.

These principles are to:

1. fight and oppose discrimination in all forms within the Union, the factories and in society;

2. strive for maximum unity amongst organized metalworkers and organise every unorganised metalworker into our national industrial union;

3. ensure that all levels of our Union are democratically structured and controlled by the worker members themselves through elected worker committees;

4. encourage democratic worker leadership and organisation in our factories and in all spheres of society;

5. reinforce and encourage progressive international worker-to-worker contact so as to strengthen the worldwide society of metalworkers.

As the Preamble ends:“We call on all metalworkers that identify with these principles and aims to join us and the metalworkers we represent, as comrades in the struggle ahead.

We call on all metalworkers to set aside any prejudices they may have and strive for unity under the guiding slogan of the international working class:“From each according to their ability, to each according to their needs”.

The overall thrust of this Preamble of the Constitution is that the Union continues to retain its revolutionary, militant, and democratic culture, and that we, 'as elected and appointed leaders, will expect no material nor personal gain in return, but the satisfaction that indeed we have made our smallest contributions to the betterment of workers' lives and the broader working class.

Those activists in the Union who will be delegates to the ANC Elective Conference must be guided by our basic traditions and cultures that we serve not for personal gain, but for the people.

In remembering the great revolutionary Che, they should also emulate the Bolivian miner, Simon Cuba (Willy) Sarabia who was prepared to make a personal sacrifice, and not to be rewarded later.

They should find a leader who is prepared to stand on his/her convictions, a leader who respects the basic principles of any revolutionary work, and above anything else, a leader who will serve only, and expect no material nor personal gain in return. We are challenged in this period, to find such leaders!

The struggle continues!Aluta Continua!

Source

Numsa News