Dear Brother, Ambassador of South Africa, Jerry Matjila,
Excellencies,
Brothers and sisters,
It was with deep sadness that we received the news a few days ago about the passing of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, a tireless fighter for the freedom of her people and a symbol of resistance against the apartheid regime.
I wish to convey, on behalf of all Cuba, our most heartfelt condolences and sincere sentiments of solidarity to her family and the Government and people of South Africa.
The Apostle of our independence, José Martí, said: "Death is not true when the work of life has been fulfilled well".
And Winnie was and is living history. She was Nelson's voice in the streets of her country and around the world while he was imprisoned by the apartheid regime for nearly three decades. Her spirit of resistance aroused the admiration of honorable people and also the fear of her enemies, who could never bring her to her knees.
She has been rightly called the "Mother of the South African nation", but she was much more than that: her motherly embrace transcended the borders of her homeland because, with the victory of the South African people over apartheid, Africa was reborn to become a different place. The world, at last, had to turn its gaze to Africa.
In short, Winnie is the expression of the rebelliousness and firm spirit of African women.
She was a person very close to the Cubans. For us, she and Nelson have always been, are and will be indivisible, two parts of a single symbol, of the same ideal. And that is how we will always remember her. For her, her struggles and dreams one day we went back to Africa and the imprint of Cuban sweat and blood stayed there.
The image of Nelson and Winnie will always remain in the memory of many of us, very close together, with their fists held high, ready to overcome any adversity, pointing to the same direction.
Mama Winnie left for immortality to join Madiba, along with Amilcar, Neto, Machel, Lumumba, Sankara, Nkrumah and many other fighters for the African independence, who will be there to welcome her as well; and also Carlota, the rebellious African slave who was the symbol of the first struggles for freedom in my Homeland, as well as all Cubans who died on African soil, in the heroic act of settling our historical and eternal debt to Africa.
From there, with all of them, Winnie will continue her fight.
Winnie will always hold a special place in the hearts of Cubans, who have embraced her struggle for more than four decades for the definitive emancipation of her country.
We will also remember Winnie as a paradigm of the unbreakable bonds of friendship and solidarity between Cuba and South Africa, forged with the blood of their sons and daughters for many years of common struggle.
Faced with Winnie Madikizela-Mandela’s immense figure, Cuba renews its strong commitment to the noble causes of the African peoples and its readiness to continue to join them in their struggles, dreams and hopes.
Thank you very much.