Cuba R50 million donation not a legal matter, but a political one, says SACP

The South African Communist Party (SACP) has reiterated its support for Cuba, saying the controversial R50 million donation goes beyond the courts.

The SACP has welcomed International Relations and Cooperation Minister Dr Naledi Pandor’s decision to review a judgment that effectively put on hold the funds leaving the country.

The application was brought by AfriForum, who argued the money is desperately needed at home.

Apart from AfriForum’s court action, there has been widespread outcry over the announcement that South Africa plans to assist Cuba with R50 million in humanitarian aid as the country battles food security challenges amid the sanctions imposed by the United States of America.

More than 60 South African non-profit organisations also launched a petition on 7 February, “to object against the travesty and irony of millions of rands exiting South Africa while more of our own people suffer the injustices of hunger every day.”

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This is beyond the courts

The SACP said while the application by AfriForum appears to be a legal issue, the reality is that it is a political matter. 

“This can be traced back to the apartheid era and apartheid sub-imperialism in Southern Africa.

“Between mid-August 1987 and the end of March 1988, Cuba defeated apartheid armed forces in Angola, in the historic Battle of Cuito Cuanavale. 

“This led to the independence of Namibia and the transition from apartheid to the current democratic dispensation in South Africa,” said the party.

“Intransigent beneficiaries of the racist regime of apartheid remain anti-Cuba, because of that.”

The sentiment was echoed by the EFF, who plans to join the opposition of the final review application relating to the R50 million donation to Cuba.

“We must appreciate the relations built with Cuba, which are undoubtedly ties of blood. There is no amount of money that can account for the sacrifice the Cubans made towards our freedom,” the EFF said.

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