South African President, Jacob Zuma, has said during the cultural political act in a posthumous tribute to the leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, that his death is a painful loss for the Africans.
 
The people and government of my country have learned with sadness the death of one of the great revolutionaries of these times and one of the great heroes in history, he added.
 
Zuma acknowledged the important role played by the Revolution and Fidel in the end of the apartheid regime in South Africa.
 
We have joined the progressive forces of the world to mourn and celebrate the life of this renowned internationalist and anti-imperialist man, who unselfishly supported the struggle of the oppressed and the exploited, he said,
 
The president also recalled that the special and deep relationship between Cuba and South Africa has been built on the blood of the heroic Cubans, who paid the supreme sacrifice for their conviction in anti-imperialism, freedom and justice.
 
I remember Fidel as a great fighter for the poor people.
 
The Cuban Revolution keeps on being a source of inspiration as to how to achieve a better life for the oppressed, Zuma said.
 
He also called for an end to the economic blockade imposed by the United States for more than 50 years; and the United Nations takes sides in this action.
 
The South African president concluded his speech by saying goodbye to Fidel.
 
You have won your career; you have fought a good battle, your soul is now resting in eternal peace, he said.