Cuba Awards ANC President OR Tambo the Order of Playa Giron

Cuba Awards ANC President OR Tambo the Order of Playa Giron On 24 March 1986, at the Palace of the Revolution in Havana, Cuba, African National Congress (ANC) President O.R. Tambo was awarded the Playa Giron Order, a national order conferred by the Council of State of Cuba on Cubans or foreigners. It was established in 1961 and is named after the Playa Girón (Girón beach), site of the Cuban victory in the Bay of Pigs Invasion. Commander-in-Chief of the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces and President of Cuba, Fidel Castro, pinned the insignia on President Tambo’s lapel, while the member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of Cuba, Esteban Lazo, said the following: “… What Cuba wants to point out to the dedicated ANC fighters, to all South African patriots, to world public opinion, with these awards, is that our people, firmly, militantly and unconditionally support all those battling against apartheid, that Cuba is committed, that Cuba is part of the struggle. We don’t have the slightest doubt that the heroic path undertaken by the Black masses and all South African patriots is now irreversible; it will lead to the elimination of the racist system and will be crowned by victory sooner or later.” In reply, ANC President OR Tambo said, “We receive this high and honourable distinction, aware that it represents the confidence that the Communist Party, government and people of Cuba have bestowed on the African National Congress and the struggling pe