SADTU WESTERN CAPE HOSTS A SUCCESSFUL DON PASQUALLIE MEMORIAL LECTURE
SADTU held a very successful Don Pasquallie memorial lecture at Bastiaanse Secondary School in Beaufort West on 12 March 2024.The lecture was hosted by the Karoo region, the smallest region in the province. It was well organised with performances by the learners of the local schools. Comrade Sabelo Mali (former Western Cape chairperson) was the special guest speaker under the theme “The critical role of SADTU in transforming education in the context of the NDR”.
Comrade Mali took us back to the time he met Comrade Don and rubbed shoulders with him as a young and inexperienced leader. “Don was prepared to take me by the hand and guide me through the difficult times, but never judged me as a very young Provincial Chairperson.”. Don Pasquallie was Mr SADTU and way bigger than life and we were all shocked by his sudden departure to the next world. He was a servant leader that never intimidated and forced members to go with his line of thinking. He made the distinction very clear between Professionalism and Unionism and he was never afraid to bring clarity to any debate. He was fearless and robust when we were dealing with the employer and indeed, he was the one that convinced everybody in the room with his sharp and analytical mind.
We salute his contributions within the MDM structures and many policies, circulars, resolutions, and collective agreements were the work of Don Pasquallie. He was an agent for change, a true revolutionary and a believer of organisational discipline. He would have urged all SADTU members to vote for the ANC on the 29 May 2024 elections and we can hear his famous words “Voting for the ANC is a COSATU resolution, and we need to implement it as SADTU”.
We still miss him, but we will NEVER forget the legacy he left behind. Long live the spirit of Don Pasquallie long live.
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