The South African Students Congress (SASCO) sends its sincere and deepest condolences to the family, friends, colleagues, comrades and his entire mass democratic movement family which he dedicated his life to. Comrade Jackson was a minister in the Presidency, Cde Jackson Mthembu passed away on the 21 January 2021. Comrade Jackson remained a freedom fighter and honest cadre till the end. As the student movement we will remember a leader in Jackson who was never embroiled in scandals of corruption of any kind albeit the positions of influence he held in the movement and in government.
While the allegations of corruption, nepotism and maladministration have become what defines the leaders of our movement comrade Jackson remained true to the insistence of putting the people of our country first and never stealing from them. This is Minister Jackson Mthembu that must remain in the hearts and minds of all South Africans.
The dedicated and principled freedom fighter in Cde Mvelase as he was affectionately known stood for freedom in the broadest sense of the of the word, freedom not associated not with just political and civil rights but also substantive freedom from abject poverty and unemployment, from social deprivation and hunger and disease, and from the crass individualism and materialism that blights our democracy; a freedom which sees the progressive realization of the social, economic, human rights that are fundamental to living full, decent, productive, rich and rewarding lives. This he demonstrated from his days as the students’ and youth leader who stood for the overthrow of the senseless and brutal apartheid capitalism. Comrade Jackson Mthembu’s participation in the struggle for the progressive realization of a National Democratic Society was not for personal glory or individual benefit.
As the student movement and young revolutionary activists we looked up to Cde Jackson, the people’s communicator, a man of integrity and a leader who performed all the tasks he had been entrusted with by the movement with diligence. Cde Jackson Mthembu who was part of the communications team under President Mandela between 1995 – 1997, the Spokesperson of the ANC when the ANC’s very existence was being threatened but his ability to engage and win over people saw the ANC communications department excel and eloquently communicating its message of hope and victories of our movement with excellence. For us this marked the beginning of the renewal of our movement. His deployment to parliament as the head ANC Whip was also another moment to employ his skills to save parliament when it was starting lose its good image and was turning into a circus. Most importantly we will remember cde Jackson as the minister in the Presidency, a modern statesman who was forever smiling, sharing jokes with the public and a man of integrity.
True to the congress man cde Mthembu was, he always strived to always transform himself and his knowledge about the world and leader who was beyond reproach. The movement lost a leader who had confidence in young people and their talent. In particular, he had utmost confidence in the graduates of SASCO, took them under his wing and taught them the communication of our movement.
As part of the broader transformation agenda of the students movement we will call renaming of school of communication in one of our public institutions of higher learning to be after him as he was a communicator par excellence and morally outstanding public servant.
Hamba kahle Mvelase, Qhudeni, Mvelase,
Mvelase ka Guda!
Issued by SASCO NEC
Bamanye Matiwane
President
079 026 5759
Buthanani Thobela
Secretary General
073 257 5677
For Enquiries:
Luvuyo Barnes
Media & Communication Liaison
079 393 7131
F: SASCO National | T: SASCO Jikelele | IG: SASCO_National