General Leopoldo “Polo” Cintra Frias prefers not to be compared with Marshall Zhukov, the victor over the Nazi fascists, because Zhukov, although a military genius in the same class as Napoleon Bonaparte, expended an enormous number of casualties in his campaigns.
General Cintra Frias is the kind of general who prefers to save life. He says that one must bear in mind when giving orders that people may be killed (on both sides). Perhaps this is the reason why SADF officers in the army that he defeated at Cuito Cuanavale would not afterwards acknowledge their defeat, because their own casualties were not great, and why even such a person as Moeletsi Mbeki, speaking recently at the COSATU 21st Anniversary celebration, could repeat the myth that our side in the struggle “did not have hard power”.
General Cintra Frias engaged the SADF at Cuito Cuanavale and at the same time brought a strong column from the west to the Namibian border, with an air force of 40 MiGs, stationed at a base that had been prepared beforehand. These moves completely closed down the tactical and strategic options available to the SADF and left Namibia (which the old South African regime was occupying illegally) in hazard. This was the end for the SADF and for the SA apartheid regime. Cintra Frias’ 1988 campaign, with relatively few casualties, secured the freedom of three countries: Angola, Namibia and South Africa.
Minister Ronnie Kasrils would rather compare comrade Cintra Frias with General Vo Nguyen Giap, who defeated both the French and the US forces in the liberation of Vietnam. But maybe this Cuban general is in a class of his own, after all.
General Cintra Frias will address the people assembled at Freedom Park, Salvokop, Pretoria, tomorrow at 10h30 according to the schedule linked below. The Sikhumbuto Wall will be inaugurated, with the names of the many Cubans who did give their lives for our liberation recorded on it.
COSATU GS Zwelinzima Vavi addressed the YCL Congress with a thorough and comprehensive speech, in which it becomes clear that the working class is not interested (as it is accused) in mere “succession” but rather in a full completion of the National Democratic Revolution. Read the linked document below, where Cde Vavi makes use of the phrase “Not Yet Uhuru”, which is the title of the autographical book written by Oginga Odinga, with the assistance of Ruth First, as well as the song recorded by Letta Mbuli.
Virginia Tilley writes with passion of the agony of the Palestinians, and the nature of the Israeli interference, so like the actions of the old apartheid regime in South Africa. She points out that like the South African racists, in the end the Israelis are going to run out of options. See the link.
COSATU North-West Province and COSATU affiliate SADTU have taken up local and national concerns respectively. In the absence of leadership from elsewhere, the working class structures increasingly shoulder all the peoples’ burdens. See the linked documents below.
Finally, an opportunity for a labour movement media person to learn radio from Worker's World – see the linked announcement below for details.
Click on these links:
Handing over of Sikhumbuto at Freedom Park, 16 December 2006 (Programme)
COSATU GS Zwelinzima Vavi to YCL National Congress 15 Dec 2006 (3816 words)
Israel, What are you going to do now, Virginia Tilley, Counterpunch (1398 words)
COSATU NW response re flats privatisation, Mafikeng and Rustenburg (386 words)
SADTU on 16th Commonwealth Teachers Conference 061215 (589 words)
WWMP 3-month Media Internship, Cape Town, from 070201 (Job training announcement)
General Cintra Frias is the kind of general who prefers to save life. He says that one must bear in mind when giving orders that people may be killed (on both sides). Perhaps this is the reason why SADF officers in the army that he defeated at Cuito Cuanavale would not afterwards acknowledge their defeat, because their own casualties were not great, and why even such a person as Moeletsi Mbeki, speaking recently at the COSATU 21st Anniversary celebration, could repeat the myth that our side in the struggle “did not have hard power”.
General Cintra Frias engaged the SADF at Cuito Cuanavale and at the same time brought a strong column from the west to the Namibian border, with an air force of 40 MiGs, stationed at a base that had been prepared beforehand. These moves completely closed down the tactical and strategic options available to the SADF and left Namibia (which the old South African regime was occupying illegally) in hazard. This was the end for the SADF and for the SA apartheid regime. Cintra Frias’ 1988 campaign, with relatively few casualties, secured the freedom of three countries: Angola, Namibia and South Africa.
Minister Ronnie Kasrils would rather compare comrade Cintra Frias with General Vo Nguyen Giap, who defeated both the French and the US forces in the liberation of Vietnam. But maybe this Cuban general is in a class of his own, after all.
General Cintra Frias will address the people assembled at Freedom Park, Salvokop, Pretoria, tomorrow at 10h30 according to the schedule linked below. The Sikhumbuto Wall will be inaugurated, with the names of the many Cubans who did give their lives for our liberation recorded on it.
COSATU GS Zwelinzima Vavi addressed the YCL Congress with a thorough and comprehensive speech, in which it becomes clear that the working class is not interested (as it is accused) in mere “succession” but rather in a full completion of the National Democratic Revolution. Read the linked document below, where Cde Vavi makes use of the phrase “Not Yet Uhuru”, which is the title of the autographical book written by Oginga Odinga, with the assistance of Ruth First, as well as the song recorded by Letta Mbuli.
Virginia Tilley writes with passion of the agony of the Palestinians, and the nature of the Israeli interference, so like the actions of the old apartheid regime in South Africa. She points out that like the South African racists, in the end the Israelis are going to run out of options. See the link.
COSATU North-West Province and COSATU affiliate SADTU have taken up local and national concerns respectively. In the absence of leadership from elsewhere, the working class structures increasingly shoulder all the peoples’ burdens. See the linked documents below.
Finally, an opportunity for a labour movement media person to learn radio from Worker's World – see the linked announcement below for details.
Click on these links:
Handing over of Sikhumbuto at Freedom Park, 16 December 2006 (Programme)
COSATU GS Zwelinzima Vavi to YCL National Congress 15 Dec 2006 (3816 words)
Israel, What are you going to do now, Virginia Tilley, Counterpunch (1398 words)
COSATU NW response re flats privatisation, Mafikeng and Rustenburg (386 words)
SADTU on 16th Commonwealth Teachers Conference 061215 (589 words)
WWMP 3-month Media Internship, Cape Town, from 070201 (Job training announcement)
0 comments:
Post a Comment
Post a Comment