Cape Town - The SACP has sent its condolences to the family of ANC deputy secretary general Yasmin “Jessie” Duarte, who died in the early hours of Sunday.
In a statement, SACP spokesperson Alex Mashilo said Duarte devoted her life to the Struggle for liberation and social emancipation, the national democratic revolution.
“The Alliance as a whole has suffered an irreplaceable loss in comrade Jessie’s demise,” Mashilo said.
He also said Duarte revived her membership of the SACP a while ago and was a member of the SACP in good standing at the time of her passing.
“The party, like the ANC, will be poorer without her.”
Mashilo said not only was Duarte the ANC deputy secretary general, but she was also a member of the Alliance Secretariat, and convened the meeting of the Alliance political council and gave leadership guidance to its drafting team.
As a tribute to Duarte, the SACP called for the intensification of the struggle against patriarchy, a struggle comrade Jessie was passionate about, he said.
“The Alliance and the entire progressive movement have the task of deepening the struggle against neoliberalism and all its inherent features.
“In addition to fighting against neoliberalism, we must continue reviving our state-owned entities, which were ravaged by both the forces of neoliberalism and state capture, while building more state capacity for the development of our country.
“Neither the neoliberal agents nor the state capture looters will lead our country out of the structural capitalist crises faced by the working-class and poor.”
Mashilo said the SACP would make its contribution to the struggle to end patriarchy and defend the gains of the liberation movement.
“The SACP commits itself to organise the people for working-class power and for the further development of our society, as well as for an end to the exploitation and subjugation of one by another,” he added.
Cape Times