THE ANC marked its 113 birthday on Wednesday by embarking on a pilgrimage to Robben Island, where many of its leaders were incarcerated by the apartheid regime.
President Cyril Ramaphosa led ANC leaders as the national executive committee kept to its practice of visiting sites of importance on the day the party was formed.
Ramaphosa said it was fitting that they gathered on Robben Island to mark the occasion because the island occupied a significant place in the history of the movement and the people of South Africa.
"Robben Island is a symbol both of enslavement and rebellion. It is a site of both imprisonment and resistance. On this day, at this place, we pay tribute to the men and women who fought so courageously against colonialism and apartheid,” he said.
Ramaphosa also said Robben Island not only occupied an important place in their history, but also carried great lessons for the movement as it charted a path of renewal and rebuilding.
“The leaders of the ANC and other liberation movements were sent to Robben Island so that their spirits may be crushed and so that the struggle of our people to be free may be defeated.
“Yet, the cruelty of the apartheid regime did not achieve its purpose. Instead, Robben Island became a place of revolutionary debate and learning.”
He also said that visiting Robben Island on the ANC’s birthday was about reaffirming their determination to advance the struggle for the complete liberation of all South Africans from all forms of oppression.
“For 113 years, the ANC has served the people of South Africa. On this day, we pledge ourselves, as we have done before, to spare neither strength nor courage, until we have won freedom for all the people of this nation.”
Ramaphosa also said their message was that no matter what challenges confronted them, they would overcome them as they had done before.
“We will prevail as leaders who were also here, they prevailed and overcame the challenges and difficulties they were subjected to,” he said.
“We are determined to continue rebuilding our movement and the trust the people of South Africa have in the ANC to become an effective champion of their liberation.
“We learnt from the experience of those who were imprisoned on Robben Island that rebuilding a movement requires an effective organisation and thorough political behaviour. Rebuilding requires vibrant democratic practice, accountability as well as discipline.”
Ramaphosa said the leaders and cadres who spent their time on Robben Island understood the vital need for unity of, for trust and personal integrity.
“They knew that they had to work together in order for them to survive this horrible place. They had to work together. This place became a place where unity was forged. As we work to rebuild the ANC, we are also drawing lessons from Robben Island, drawing on a wealth of experience that stretches 113 years of struggle,” he said, adding that they acknowledged the shortcomings and their challenges.
“As the movement we recognise the strength and capability that reside in our movement.”
Speaking on the sidelines of the Robben Island visit, Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula said the visit to Robben Island was to retrace the steps which continue to be an inspiration for unity, non-racialism and prosperity of South Africa.
“As we are 113 we are here to remember and thank all families of our leaders, our stalwarts, all liberators of our country, freedom fighters who were here. We say to them thank you, aluta continua,” Mbalula said.