South African’s National Liberation Movement

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Media Statement

ANC STATEMENT COMMEMORATING THE BIRTH OF CDE ASHLEY KRIEL, ‘CHE GUEVARA OF THE CAPE.”

The African National Congress (ANC) commemorates the 58th birthday of Cde Ashley Kriel, a gallant son of the Cape, known as the “Che Guevara of the Cape.

” He was a freedom fighter, a revolutionary commander of the Bonteheuwel Military Wing, a dedicated soldier of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the people’s glorious army, and a steadfast leader in the fight to liberate South Africa. He embodied the will of our people serving as a symbol of resolute and resilient courage against the brutal apartheid regime.

Born in the crucible of struggle in Bonteheuwel, a coloured township established through the forced removals from Cape Town under the Group Areas Act of 1950, Comrade Ashley Kriel emerged from the Cape Flats as a fearless leader. Like Lenin during the Great October Revolution, he understood that true liberation requires both the organization of the masses and the strategic use of force. Through the Bonteheuwel Inter-Schools Congress (BISCO) and Cape Youth Congress (CAYCO), he mobilised students and the youth to resist the apartheid regime, unwaveringly holding on to the rallying call of OR Tambo’s Young Lions, “Freedom or Death, Victory is Certain!”

As a committed cadre of Umkhonto we Sizwe, trained in Quibaxe, Angola, the Lion of the Cape embodied the courage, discipline, and selflessness that define true revolutionaries. His leadership in mobilising the youth of the Cape Flats and his ultimate sacrifice as a martyr in the fight against the brutal apartheid system serve as an enduring inspiration for today’s generation. Comrade Ashley Kriel’s unshakeable dedication to the liberation of the oppressed reminds us that freedom is won through action, struggle, and the willingness to sacrifice even one’s own life for a just cause.

Comrade Ashley Kriel was posthumously honoured with the Joe Modise Commanding and Leadership Excellence Award and the Stanza Bopape Young Martyr Memorial Award for his unparalleled bravery, leadership, and sacrifice. His legacy remains a beacon of hope, as we remember his life, the ultimate price paid in the pursuit of freedom.

Today, we salute the Lion of the Cape, Comrade Ashley Kriel, whose name is etched in our liberation history for his fearless and selfless contribution to our struggle for freedom and democracy.

Long live the spirit of Ashley Kriel, long live! 

END//

ISSUED BY THE AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS.

Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri
National Spokesperson

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Mothusi Shupinyane Ka Ndaba
Media Liaison Officer
084 498 0105