South African Communist Party
11 December 2021 The South African Communist Party sends its message of heartfelt condolences to the family of Ambassador Lindiwe Mabusa (83), a stalwart of the South African struggle for liberation and a renowned poet. Ambassador Lindiwe Mabuza passed away on Monday and is laid to her last resting place today, Saturday 11 December 2021. Comrade Lindiwe Mabuza was a recipient of the Order of Ikhamanga in Silver, conferred by the Presidency for her excellent contribution to mobilising the use of arts, application of artistic creativity and display of cultural activism in the struggle for South African freedom and democracy. In its Programme, the South African Road to Socialism, SACP places a premium on the battle of ideas or the struggle on the ideological terrain, to drive transformation and build a non-racial and non-sexist democratic state and society characterised by shared prosperity and systematic elimination of the exploitation of one person, social group, or class by another. Creative arts are a key sector in the battle of ideas, in which Cde Lindiwe Mabuza set a good example in the struggle against apartheid, the struggle for democracy, the struggle for equality, the struggle for freedom. In memory of Cde Lindiwe Mabuza, the SACP will strengthen its role in the battle of ideas on all fronts where it takes place. Besides, we need transformation of the political economy of the creative industry to eliminate the racial legacy of apartheid, patriarchal domination and capitalist exploitation of creative workers and their intellectual property. To look at this question, the SACP recently held a meeting with the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Nathi Mthethwa. The work to achieve transformation in the creative industry and support the formerly oppressed in line with the constitution principle of redress must deepen, in memory of our stalwart, whose work speaks for itself. As summarised by the Presidency in conferring the Order of Ikhamanga in Silver on her, Lindiwe Mabuza played a great role in the struggle to overthrow apartheid and achieve the transformation of the South African society. Born in the coal-mining town of Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal in 1938, after matriculation she enrolled at Roma University in Lesotho. In 1961 she moved to Swaziland, where she taught English and isiZulu literature. In 1964, Mabuza began graduate studies in English at Stanford University, California. In 1969 she became an assistant professor at Ohio University. She taught literature, history, studies of international racism and injustice for eight years. Mabuza is a widely respected poet. She has had five volumes of poetry published around the world. Her publications include: Malibongwe, One Never Knows – poetry and short stories by African Congress Women; From ANC to Sweden, Letter to Letta, Africa to me, Voices that Lead – all poetry collections. To Quincy, is one of her longest poems that was published in Feminist Studies in 1995. Mabuza joined the African National Congress (ANC) in 1975 and became a journalist for the ANC’s Radio Freedom, based in Lusaka. Her concern with women’s issues led to her involvement with Voice of the Women (VOW), the ANC’s feminist journal, which encouraged women to write poetry. The VOW gave its readers a forum in which to express themselves and their feelings and to tell the world about their lives. These stories were later published in a collection in 1980 under the title Malibongwe. She is the co-editor of Oliver Tambo Remembered, a tribute to one of South Africa’s greatest leaders. Through her role as Chairperson of the ANC Cultural Committee from 1977 to 1979, Mabuza gave expression to her creative and artistic spirit. In an interview in…
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SACP sends its message of heartfelt condolences to the family of Ambassador Lindiwe Mabusa