On the afternoon of this November 16 in the well-known Union Building in the city of Pretoria, the surroundings of the immense image of Nelson Mandela were filled with Cuban and South African flags, posters agaisnt the blockade, and pictures of Fidel, carried by dozens of South African friends of Cuba and Cubans who work in this sister nation under intergovernmental collaboration agreements, to condemn once again the existence of the criminal blockade imposed on the Cuban nation more than 60 years ago and show their solidarity with the Cuban people.
Among those attending the meeting were Moeketsi Sekokoane, member of the Board of Directors of the Cuban Graduate Association (CAASA), Lefika Chetty, Deputy Secretary General of the Association of Friends of Cuban Society (FOCUS), Louisa Thipe, Second Vice President of COSATU, Tinyiko Ntini, National Secretary of the South African Communist Youth League and Solly Mapaila, First Deputy Secretary of the South African Communist Party (SAPC), whose spoke with heartfelt emotion
All the speakers firmly expressed their repudiation of the maintenance of the criminal blockade on Cuba, exacerbated by the Trump administration with 243 measures and maintained intact by the Biden administration, with the aim of suffocating the Cuban people. They alluded to the solidarity aid that even in times of COVID, Cuba continues to offer to all those nations that need it, thanking this internationalist gesture and in turn praising the advancement and development of Cuban vaccines against the pandemic, despite this complex reality. They offered their gratitude for the sacrifices and help provided by Cuba in the struggles for the liberation of African countries, and their historic commitment to support the Cuban Revolution.