Bonginkosi

Ray, I disagree with you on this one. When this country was in need of medical doctors, CUBA stepped forward. When our country was in need for our young people to have superior medical training, CUBA stepped forward and did it. They are not a particularly rich country but they stretched out a hand of friendship and helped. Fidel Catsro deserves this medal just for that.

As far as all the other faults that accrue to that country, I just want to whisper something to you: United States of America, Guantanamo Bay, Renditions, Iraq war, NO BROKEN DIPLOMATIC TIES WITH THEM DESPITE BEING A ROGUE NATION, DIPLOMATIC DOUBLE STANDARDS etc.

I rest.

Larry Goodfella

This is nothing but a sick joke.

Eli Jikelele

Is it the first of April already… unbelievable!

One of the biggest problems across the whole of Africa is the pre-disposition of politicians and public officials to get involved with low value activities. The more, the merrier because it gives voters a false sense of action and movement on the part of the elected elite.

Providing desperately needed services is too unse.xy and is more like hard work, whereas, having commissions of enquiry or proposals to all kinds of weird and wonderful projects sounds more strategic and long-term. Fixing the potholes, black-outs, understaffed and understocked clinics, ****** schools and lazy teachers are too much like real challenges requiring real effort from real professionals.

TDoc

I think the South African government is using a double-standard here… It values the trade relations with China higher than what could’ve been just another round of talk on peace, … but with what standard is used for giving Castro’s medal… I don’t really know.

Meanwhile, the government may now regret of its ban agains the Tibetan spiritual leader, as the global media have picked up on the issue and criticized the action… and if I’m not mistaken, China isn’t even the main trade partner of SA.

PLZ

I dont think there is a country in the world which has not accomodated some detastable people in way or the other. To many people across the world Fidel is a hero. Cuba has many things going for it that many western countries can only dream of. The problem is that people are very selective or what they report on. Especially Newspapers with a western bias. It seems that for anything to be good in this world it has to be Eauropean or white. Silly really.

Shaun Greenly

I totally disagree with this guy. Fidel Castro diserves to be credited with this metal due to his humanitarian efforts put forth in order to improve South Africa’s medical doctor shortage situation. I will argue this point until the day I die in relation to the fact that Cuba has been much better off since the revolution in so many ways than under the dictatorship rule of a U.S backed Bastista Government. Yes Castro has made mistakes but so has every leader in the past. Even
Nelson Mandela whom I admire very much. When will poeple in this world soon realize that we all do not have to live under the same ideological capitialist code in order to be truly content. It is o.k for the world to live under different political spectrums as long as were not killing each other!

angelfinder

Democracy is to keep nobodies like you from tellin the people of Cuba who to or not to give a visa to.