The Sunday Mail
Kuda Bwititi: Chief Reporter
African Union Commission Chairperson Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has paid tribute to revolutionary icon Cde Fidel Castro for his outstanding role in the liberation of African countries.
In a statement on the African Union website, Dr Dlamini-Zuma described Cde Castro as an “internationalist” who contributed immensely to Africa. Cde Castro, Cuba’s founding communist leader, died at the weekend after a long illness.
The AU Commission Chairperson said, “President Castro was a liberation icon, a true revolutionary and internationalist, who assisted in the liberation and socio-economic development of Africa and the developing world.
“He was consistent in the fight for the principle of equality amongst nations, reflected in the leading role he played in the Non-Aligned Movement. Castro supported national liberation and anti-colonial struggles, and after independence, the development of national health systems in Africa.
“Cuba deployed tens of thousands of doctors and other medical professionals all over Africa, and trained thousands of medical students from Africa. Africa, on the other hand, has stood steadfast in its solidarity with Cuba, with numerous resolutions by the Organisation of African Unity and the African Union, supporting the end of the economic blockade of Cuba.”
