Pretoria - President Jacob Zuma says government has set into motion the process of declaring the Liliesleaf Farm in Rivonia, north of Johannesburg, a heritage institution.
This, Zuma said, would help to preserve the heritage contained at this farm and to ensure that the place was adequately resourced as a heritage institution, which belongs to all the people of South Africa.
Speaking at the function on Thursday to mark the 50th anniversary of the Liliesleaf Farm arrests, Zuma said preserving the site would contribute to the on-going process of national healing and the building of a more cohesive society.
The President said the farm must serve as a reminder that South Africans have the “ability to respond to any situation at whatever level, as dictated by concrete material conditions”.
“Liliesleaf is a place of hope. It must be a shrine to which we come for inspiration, to be re-energised to take forward the task of building the country of our dreams, as described in the Freedom Charter and the Constitution of the Republic,” said Zuma.
The site, which is a museum, is where apartheid security forces arrested several top ANC leaders on 11 July 1963. They included Walter Sisulu, Ahmed Kathrada, Andrew Mlangeni, Denis Goldberg and Govan Mbeki.
The men were charged with sabotage under the General Law Amendment (Sabotage) Act of 1962 and sentenced on 12 June 1964.
Former President Nelson Mandela had been arrested at Howick the year before and sentenced to five years in prison. He was brought from Robben Island to be accused number one in the Rivonia Trial. He had earlier stayed at Liliesleaf while he was involved in underground activities for the ANC and Umkhonto we Sizwe.
Although confronted with the stubborn challenges of high unemployment, extreme poverty and inequality, Zuma said the current generation of leadership must continue to draw lessons from the experiences of the Liliesleaf generation.
“Just as they saw the need for the armed struggle in order to bring the apartheid regime to its knees, we must bring to life the radical economic policy shift needed in order to bring our present challenges to their knees,” he said.
Zuma said the transition now must be characterized by a resolute struggle for socio-economic justice.
The ideas born at Liliesleaf Farm did not die at the point of the raid and should never die, Zuma said.
“We must ensure that the ideas and the spirit born at Liliesleaf Farm continue to inspire and guide us in working for a better life for all.”
Zuma used the event to pay tribute to those who risked their lives for freedom.
"We salute all the heroes and heroines of our revolution, who were willing to pay the ultimate price for our freedom. We owe a huge debt to them, which we can only repay through selflessness, sacrifice and humility in serving our people.” – SAnews.gov.za
