The president of the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) of Azania Mzwanele Nyhontso pays tribute to the recently departed and gallant soldier of the Azanian Peoples Liberation Army (APLA) comrade Luyanda Gqomfa.
Trained In Egypt, Uganda and Tanzania, ‘Bruce’ was one of the leading combatants of APLA who infiltrated the country to launch the great ‘Operation Great Storm’..which rattled the apartheid state like no other guerrilla operation had since the early days of Poqo.
TRIBUTE TO LUYANDA “BRUCE” GQOMFA
Program director, Comrade Kamana, NEC members present here today, comrade Gxabe, comrade Plaatjie, comrade chairperson of the province, comrade Goqwana, comrade secretary of the province, comrade Nomnga and through you, I greet all PEC members. Leadership of APLAMVA, comrade Henge and through you I greet all APLAMVA leaders. Church leaders and the most important people; the bereaved family of comrade Gqomfa. Izwelethu
Death, real death always evokes denials from the family and comrades of the deceased. Hence, we say old soldiers like Comrade Gqomfa never die. That’s how we console ourselves against the gloomy prospect of never seeing him again in our midst.
On behalf of the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania, I would like to relay the Party’s condolences to the Gqomfa Family in this hour of grief and sorrow. Your pain is deeply shared and your loss is our loss. Hopefully you’ll find solace in the thought that your son was cherished by the whole nation as a hero. A true fighter who smelt the burning gunpowder and heard the whizzing of missiles in the heat of a mortal combat. He was a front-line warrior who experienced the coalface of the deadly armed struggle.
Comrade Gqomfa fought, alongside his fellow combatants like Max Kulman, in the subzero weather of Free State and in the windy and wet weather of Western Cape. He was a soldier of all seasons. He wasn’t a sunny summer soldier. He was a highly prized asset of the PAC and the Azanian People’s Liberation Army (APLA). And when APLA integrated into the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), he carried on to be an asset of the nation.
Those who knew Comrade Gqomfa will bear witness that he was the ultimate straight talker. He never hesitated to say what he believed was true in his judgment.
As we prepare to lay Comrade Gqomfa to rest, we need to honestly reflect on Azania today. Is this Azania he was proud of? If not, why? The very fact that this country is still officially called Suid Afrika, reflects the quality of our freedom. People of Gqhebera, yesterday you were in Port Elizabeth, today you’re in Gqhebera, will you join the PAC march to Azania?
Comrade Gqomfa witnessed with shock and horror, the ruling party changing itself into the looting party. And changing its headquarters from Luthuli House to Loot-all House. As the nation was groaning, and it’s still groaning under the fatal blows of the Coronavirus, some ruling party members saw the golden opportunity to enrich themselves with the blood and tears of the dying and the dead. Billions of rands can’t be accounted for on one hand, and on the other hand the equipment and the work conditions of our soldiers are in poor state due to the budgetary constraints. Our hospitals and clinics are death traps because of lack of money! We are told by thieves who loot from the treasury day and night. Their thievery has resulted in the bankruptcy of the SAA, RAF, Eskom, etc. The legendary Midas, we are told, everything he touched turned into gold. This ruling party and its kleptocratic government, everything they touch turns into waste.
In the former Transkei they touched Magwa Tea Estate and Ncora Farming Scheme. Where are they today? The saying; BATHO PELE – PEOPLE FIRST, is just an empty slogan meant to fool the people. What makes South Africa even more laughable country is that the communist country is part of the government in the most unequal society in the known universe. The PAC founding President, Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe was right in his observation: “Like Christianity, communism was unfortunate in its choice of representatives in South Africa.”
Comrades and compatriots, Coronavirus is real. It kills. As one football manager would say: it can kill you, real death. It kills people. It doesn’t kill governments. Even before we call on the Government to play its part, we need to play our part as people. We need to adhere strictly to the Covid-19 protocols: namely masking up, keep social distancing and hand sanitation. Weather permitting, we need an hour in the sunlight between 9am and 10am. We need to cut the consumption of sugary foods and drinks and develop habits of daily exercises to strengthen our immune system. Means permitting we should consume foods and drinks rich in alkaline, eg. Garlic, avocado, etc. Your healthy body is the first line of defence against any illness, Covid-19 included.
As people, we expect the Government to help us, not to hinder us. How can we win against Coronavirus, or any virus for that matter, when our people are trapped in absolute poverty? Poor people rub shoulders, literally, at SASSA pay points where many queue 24 hours ahead of time, under extreme weather conditions. Public transport is in a mess. And, instead of constructively engaging the taxi industry, our clown minister of transport throws insults at them. Unprintable insults!
Comrade Gqomfa would have agreed with me when I say Covid-19 is a timely reminder that we must transform our public health care system. The poor are crowding overwhelmed, understaffed and under funded hospitals, while the privileged get the best medical care just because they have the money to foot medical aid bills. This must stop now. Life is a human right. Not a privilege for the moneyed individuals.
This day members of the Gqomfa Family have been brought together by the untimely death of its fellow family member. It’s the same with the PAC members. The same with members of the SANDF. This day we are one united bereaved human family: unified by the death of Comrade Luyanda “Bruce” Gqomfa. And reluctantly we acknowledge that birth is the beginning of death. Grudgingly we accept that death is not the end of life. It’s simply part of it.
The PAC members in Gqhebera, you owe Comrade Gqomfa a better performance in this year’s local government elections. No seat is a scandal. One seat is a shame. We must campaign for seats in this metro. Nationally, the PAC owes Comrade Gqomfa the return of ever square metre of the land of Hintsa and Makhanda.
Izwe Lethu!
Mzwanele Nyhontso
PAC President