The passing of Fidel Castro has served to highlight the remarkable achievements of one of the most dynamic revolutionaries in the 20th century. It is surely noted that Castro committed various ideological errors and erred on the side of the Stalinist version of the Soviet Union and its warped ideology. But he had little choice in his determination to defend the dramatic victory of the Cuban revolution. Castro was no Stalinist and he was by no means a populist. Whereas he was sceptical of the path followed by Trotsky he found himself in a situation where the idea of permanent revolution could not be ignored. Castro and the Cuban Communist Party led their country to a state as near to a socialist one as circumstances permitted. He stood steadfast against all the filthy machinations of Western Imperialism which they hypocritically tried to pin on him. Together with the valiant efforts of Che Guevara, Cuba tried to extend the scope of the Cuban revolution in many countries across the world – all of them suffering under the grip of colonialist rule.  There is no need to repeat the dynamism of his role which has been acknowledged vividly in his many obituaries. Of importance to us are the contributions made to the anti- imperialist, anti-apartheid war in Angola. And while it may seem of little significance, we greatly respect the aid that Cuba rendered to UMSA in giving military training to its cadres in Guinea (Conakry) in 1968, despite all the prevarications of the Organisation of African Unity.

We are certain that his valiant efforts and his historic achievements will continue to be an inspiration and a lesson to all those engaged in the struggle for real socio-economic equality, human dignity and the full eradication of cynical capitalist greed.