The South African Communist Party (SACP) on Wednesday reiterated the calls made by Limpho Hani, the widow of struggle stalwart Chris Hani, warning all members of the newly registered Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) party to stay away from the grave of the revered icon.
Weekend newspaper reports suggested that Zuma and the MK party were scheduled to visit the former SACP leader’s grave.
This followed news reports that Cleopatra Tunyiswa, a 57-year-old woman who insists she is Chris Hani’s eldest daughter, has recently dumped the ruling ANC and joined the Zuma-backed MK party.
The recent developments sparked a strongly-worded statement from Limpho, who stated that the MK party symbolised by former president Jacob Zuma and its members are “not allowed anywhere near the gravesite of Chris Thembisile Hani, nor is the said party allowed to use any symbols but not limited to pictures/names/apparels/insignia etc that Chris Hani stood for”.
In an interview with a television broadcaster on Wednesday morning, the national spokesperson of the SACP, Dr Alex Mashilo amplified Limpho’s words, saying the MK party must not be seen anywhere near the grave of Chris Hani.
“The succinct response is that anyone who belongs to that party and engages in the activities of that newly-formed party, in line with the text of the statement released by Mme Limpho, is just not allowed near that gravesite.
“It doesn’t matter who they are, and what they were in the past.”
Last week, IOL reported that the Zuma-endorsed MK party will be embarking on a vigorous national campaign in the next few weeks as it seeks to dispel the notion that it is a KwaZulu-Natal-based party.
On December 16, the former president announced that he would campaign and vote for the party in this year’s hotly contested general elections.
IOL