ANC brought us freedom – Kathrada

Struggle stalwart Ahmed Kathrada has warned that the ANC will go nowhere without the spirit of volunteerism.

“We just hope and pray that the spirit will continue,” Kathrada said today in Orange Farm, south of Johannesburg, where the ANC in Gauteng took its election campaign.

Kathrada, one of the Rivonia treason trialists who was sentenced along with Nelson Mandela to life imprisonment on Robben Island, attributed the success of the ANC to the sacrifice of volunteers.

“One of the things that we remember, every major event of the ANC was all organised not by paid volunteers but by volunteers who sacrificed their time and energy for the cause,” he said.

“That is the lesson we learnt from the major successes of the ANC.”

Kathrada said the ANC was not a rich organisation and it depends on volunteers to move forward.

Despite the challenges facing the ruling party, Kathrada described the ANC as the only party of choice.

“The ANC brought us freedom,” Kathrada said. “It led the people of South Africa to freedom.

“For the first time after 300 years of apartheid rule, it was the ANC that brought freedom to our country.”

He said freedom did not fall from heaven.

“Freedom was fought for,” Kathrada said. “Comrade Chris Hani died for freedom. “Others were hanged for freedom and others were tortured.”

However, he said that with freedom came responsibility.

“That responsibility falls on the shoulders of young people,” Kathrada said.

“They are the ones that are benefiting most from the freedom. We hope and know that the youth of today will carry out the duties that the people of South Africa expect from them.”

Speaking about the upcoming local government elections, Kathrada said he was confident the election would be nonviolent under ANC leaders.

“That is what we owe to Mabiba’s spirit,” he said.

Kathrada added that South Africa would have achieved what Mandela wanted to achieve when every child went to bed with a full stomach.

“When that happens, we can say we are happy,” he said.

Former deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe called on ANC leaders to be humble, accountable and selfless.

“The expectation is one that is based on that understanding that all leaders of the ANC display integrity, humility and understand that they represent the glorious movement,”Motlanthe said.

The ANC in Gauteng used the mini-rally at Orange Farm’s multipurpose centre to cut a birthday cake in honour of Mandela. Elderly people were given blankets and ANC T-shirts bearing the face of Mandela, not President Jacob Zuma.