Statement on the postponement of the wreath-laying ceremony in honour of Cde Chris Hani

[SACP Communications]

South African Communist Party

Statement on the postponement of the wreath-laying ceremony in honour of Cde Chris Hani

Thursday, 9 April 2026:- Today, the South African Communist Party (SACP), in coordination with the Hani family and organisations of the Alliance, had planned to hold a wreath-laying ceremony in honour of Comrade Chris Hani at the gravesite in Elspark.

The ceremony was, however, postponed by consensus of Alliance leaders present at the grave site. The postponement was due to the withdrawal of the Hani family from the ceremony following the self-imposition of the Ekurhuleni Municipality on the proceedings despite the Hani family’s express objections to the municipality’s participation, with reasons communicated beforehand.

The SACP is gravely concerned about what appears to be the municipal authorities’ unwillingness or refusal to respect the wishes of the Hani family on matters related to the wreath-laying ceremony.

The municipality is aware of the processes taken towards the commemoration of our stalwarts, which include extensive engagements with families. The Hani family expressed its concerns about how the municipality was handling this matter since 2025, and this led the family to approach the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture, noting that Comrade Chris Hani was a national figure and must be celebrated beyond one region or municipality.

Thus, in 2025 the event went to the Eastern Cape, his birth province, and the 33rd Commemoration in 2026 will be held in the Thembisile Hani Local Municipality in Mpumalanga.

We will always respect and preserve the legacy of our stalwarts and heroes of the liberation struggle, and that includes respecting their families.

The SACP is committed to maintaining a sound relationship with the Hani family to ensure that the movement’s claim to the legacy of Chris Hani is harmonious with the family’s wishes and values. This alignment has always been intact from our standpoint as the SACP, and we are working even at this time to sustain and deepen it.

The relationship between the Party and the Hani family is not ceremonial; it is political, moral, and rooted in the shared responsibility to defend and advance Chris Hani’s revolutionary legacy in a manner that is both disciplined and united.