Andile Lungisa | Tribute to Comrade Mandela Kapere

Andile Lungisa pays tribute to Mandela Kapere, a Swapo parliamentarian in Namibia who died recently, following an unknown illness. 

A jewel of our crown has fallen - a young revolutionary, a committed Pan-Africanist, a young activist of our liberation struggle on the African continent, a shining star of our generation, an organic intellectual, a thinker and a fighter.

The greatest gift ever given to mankind is not the gift of sight, but the gift of vision. Sight is a function of the eyes but vision is a function of the heart. Eyes that look are common, but eyes that see are rare.

Nothing noble or noteworthy was ever accomplished without vision.

Vision produced the great Egyptian civilisation more than four thousand years ago and gave rise to the towering pyramids that still amaze us today. Vision inspired the Greeks to produce philosophy and art that still impacts the world's thinking. Vision motivated the great Roman Empire to expand its influence.

Vision inspired Comrade Mandela Kapere to fight for social change, especially economic freedom in our lifetime as a generational mission.

A right to dignity 

A true revolutionary, Comrade Kapere was premised on the radical idea that the wretched of the earth had the right to eat regularly, and should be provided with quality homes, access to free quality education and quality medical care.

In essence, Kapere believed that the poor had a right to dignity. He fought for these ideas and policies.

We will not forget his love for the downtrodden in his country and world over; his faith in humanity and its potential; and hope for a better Africa which he had begun to build. We still had a lot to learn from a man who lived, and died, on his own terms.

Jose Marti, hero of the Cuban revolution, said: "A true man does not seek the path where advantage lies, but rather, the path where duty lies."

Mandela Kapere was a gentle giant of Youth Development in Africa, a crafter of the African Youth Charter which was adopted by the African Union as overarching plan for our motherland.

We pay tribute to the former secretary-general of the Pan African Youth Union (PYU) who also served as its vice-president.

We know in Namibia he served in the Swapo Party Youth League (SPYL) committees, and was executive chairperson of the National Youth Council. He was appointed to the National Youth Service by the president of Namibia. KaPere was a Pan-Africanist of note and a diplomat par excellence.

Imperialism 

We pay tribute at a time when imperialism dominates the world, in the framework of one of the deepest structural crises of the capitalist system, which is worsening the situation of the poor. This can be seen in the increasing number of unemployed people as the profits of companies increase, where the poor are victims of imperialism, and where some countries are under sanctions, blockades and occupation.

People on the continent should continue to call for the nationalisation of our land and free and quality education, for the right to employment with full respect of labour rights, for democratic rights, for the right to access health, sport and culture, for the protection of the environment, for a decent life, for friendship, for solidarity and for peace among all people.

For those among us who strive for solidarity, freedom from alienation and to create and live for humanity as a whole, rooted in eternal love for our people, Kapere's death has left a hole in our hearts as gaping as the one in Kimberly.

We will not forget you, Comrade MK Mandela Kapere. We will keep the spirit of your ideas alive, until we are all free. We will forever salute this outstanding revolutionary and make the call like Che Guevara's "Hasta la victoria siempre".

Lala ngoxolo qabane!

 - Andile Lungisa is former ANCYL deputy president and former president of the Pan African Youth Union.

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