Pretoria, November 29, 2018.- In a massive event held in Bloemfontein, one of the three capitals of South Africa and the head city of the Free State province, hundreds of South Africans and Cubans gathered to commemorate the second anniversary of the death of Commander in Chief Fidel Castro.
The event, organized by the Embassy of Cuba and the authorities of the Province, was held together with the giant statue of the historical leader of the Cuban Revolution and the building baptized with his name, which are erected in the center of the city.
In the emotive tribute, the Secretary General of the African National Congress (ANC), Ace Magashule, spoke among other executives of the National Government and the Province; the President of the National Federation of Trade Unions of South Africa (COSATU); the leader of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of South Africa, Reneva Fourie; the Vice President of the Association of Solidarity with Cuba (FOCUS), Clever Banganayi and the Vice President of the Association of South African Students Graduated in Cuba, Cyntia Ntathu Ndaba.
He also intervened on behalf of the Cuban cooperators in South Africa, the Head of the Medical Brigade in Free State, Dr. Ariel Torres and the representative of the Association of Graduated Veterans in Cuba.
The event, broadcast live by the South African national television, became a space of solidarity and support for the Cuban Revolution and strengthening the special bonds of friendship between the peoples of Cuba and South Africa. The immense legacy of the Commander-in-Chief to future generations was highlighted by all.
The mayor of the city, Olly Mlamleli, requested that the city of Bloemfontein be allowed to be in 2019 the seat of commemoration of the Commander in Chief and announced the decision to create a corner of Cuba in the Provincial Library, where they will be able to consult permanently. documents, books and other materials related to the legacy of Fidel and the fundamental role of Cuba in the overthrow of Apartheid as a result of the heroic battle of Cuito Cuanavale.
In his closing remarks, Cuban Ambassador Rodolfo Benítez Verson said that Fidel's accurate guidance led the Cuban people to numerous victories, and his life was an example of perseverance and true revolutionary conviction. He added that the Commander taught us that solidarity and the struggle for social justice are essential qualities of a revolutionary. He also highlighted the key importance that Fidel always attributed to unity, which has allowed the Cuban people to resist for more than 60 years the policy of hostility and blockade by the government of the United States.
