“Our beloved Bazooka made the ultimate sacrifice defending our ancestral land of Amadiba on the Wild Coast. … The Australian mining company MRC and all the criminals in high positions who are eager to cut their piece of our land and fill their pockets with blood money, shall know this: The Amadiba coastal community will not be intimidated into submission” Amadiba Crisis Committee on the assassination of Sikhosiphi Bazooka Rhadebe.
On 23 March 2016 South Africa awoke to the news of the brutal murder of Sikhosiphi Rhadebe also known as “Bazooka” who was brutally killed the night before, in what seems to be, in furtherance of the agenda of white capital. Bazooka was the Chairperson of the Amadiba Crisis Committee (ACC) in the Pondoland area of the Eastern Cape’s Wild Coast. The ACC has consistently over the past ten years opposed the mining of titanium in the Xolobeni sand dunes. To this end they have waged a struggle against the white capitalist Australian based mining company, MRC, who are hellbent on looting the Wild Coast’s titanium with impunity.
BLF is not surprised by this brutal murder of our black brother Bazooka. He was murdered because he fought against the white imperialist agenda whose only aim is to further colonize SA land via the agency of the black compradoreial elite. His murder was motivated by one reason only – the looting and squandering of the peoples resources. To the white captains of MRC and its local subsidiary, Transworld Energy & Mineral Resources (TEM), we see your agenda of employing police brutality to bully the community into submission and perpetual servitude. Yes, we see the tragedy of the Marikana massacre as Bazooka’s brutal death is added to it. Above all else, we see the hidden hand of white supremacy in the murder of Comrade Bazooka.
The fight of the affected community under Bazooka’s leadership is a continuation of the historical battle for black peoples land against white owned corporations. BLF notes the beautiful wisdom of an ACC member who said: “My tears won’t fall on the ground for nothing. You can bring your machine guns. I am prepared to die for my land, I am not going anywhere”. Bazooka’s blood shall certainly not be spilt in vain!
The fighting spirit of our people in Section 24 Umgungundlovu of the Amadiba Traditional Authority in protecting their land is inspiring. We encourage our people to soldier on, to put black first for land first! We must remember that without our land we are nothing! We must fight for it to the bitter end – by any means necessary. And Bazooka was indeed exemplary in this regard! Salutations to him!
Long live the spirit of Sikhosiphi Bazooka Rhadebe!
#MRCmustGo
#WhiteCapitalMustFall
#ReturnLandEndRacism
ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL COORDINATING COMMITTEE OF THE BLACK FIRST LAND FIRST MOVEMENT
26 March 2016
Contact Details
Black First Land First Mail: [email protected]
Zanele Lwana
(National Spokesperson)
Cell: +27 79 486 9087
Mail: [email protected]
Lindsay Maasdorp
(National Spokesperson)
Cell: +27 79 915 2957
Mail: [email protected]