SOUTH AFRICAN WORKING CLASS AND THE STRUGGLE FOR INTERNATIONAL SOCIALISM!

Subject to progressive degeneration and periodic crises, capitalism has proven that it will not collapse itself. Capitalism must be overthrown and the only force capable of conquering it is the working class.

However, the working class must be united around a revolutionary program. This program is and by itself the alternative to the brainwashing ideas, attitude, and institutions which compose capitalist culture. The overthrowal of capitalism by the working class through a revolutionary program, as a condition, will not be met automatically or inevitably. We acknowledge that workers are in a constant conflict with capitalist
social relations but we should further note that the resulting struggles are generally fought out on capitalist grounds. In South Africa, for instance, this kind of ground is evident of the role played by the Capitalist Institution known as Chamber of Mines which has defended the interests of Bosses dating back to 1946 when 76 000 Mineworkers fought for better wages and living conditions.

The mining sector has not changed post-Apartheid and the ownership of this commanding height of the economy is still in the hands of the very imperialists who ordered massacres and attacks against the African workers in 1946 leading to Police killing 12 Mineworkers and 1248 were injured.

In 1950s every industrial strike involving African workers was met with conspiracy of the bosses, the Labour Department and Police. Mass victimization, prosecution and deportation were the order of the day. This tactic has and method of silencing the working class has continued even post-Apartheid as it has been the case during Marikana massacre, the killing of Abahlali baseMjondolo leaders as well as the the targeting of union leaders in various sectors not forgetting to mention the most reactionary threats of deportation against cadre Liv Shange of Democratic Socialist Movement. The ANC government has become nothing but a shield and spear of the Imperial forces who have bribed former liberation fighters like Sexwale and Ramaphosa through the stakes in the mines resulting in too much food in their mouth determining how they should speak. Today former activists have replaced Smuts and have not only admired but maintained the system they pretended to be fighting before they saw themselves owning game reserves and private jets. Not only do they own such properties but we still have the likes of Kgalema Motlanthe who is desperately trying to convince workers to sign the 1953 Industrial Legislation which prohibited Mineworkers from organizing and striking but this time the Industrial Legislation has a new name 'New Peace Accord' which means 'Old wine in the new bottle'. Much as the National Party were doing for Afrikaneer Capitalists half a century ago, the ANC has adopted the same tendency and is bowing to the pressure from emerging 'non European Capitalists' in the form of Guptas who demand more space in the economy at the expense of ordinary workers who thought 1994 was their door to heaven as they saw a black man, with the same heart and soul as Botha, waving a hand and telling the world that 'South Africa is now a free country'.

With the recent Marikana massacre exposing the class character of the ANC, the poor African people are asking themselves questions as to whether South Africa represent a blessing that has turned to be a curse to the people. This relates to the rich soil that seem to produce blood instead of wealth for the poor. In April 2010, a Citigroup report identified South Africa as the world's riches country in terms of its mineral reserves valued at $2.5 trillion, with Platinum group metals constituting $2.3 trillion of thi. South Africa is estimated to hold 87% of the world's reserves of Platinum group metals and accounted for 76% of the world platinum production in 2009. What a blessing! But the question is whose blessing is it if not the Greedy Capitalists who cannot even be compared to pigs. When they eat they do so as if there's no tomorrow.

The dark secret serving as an embarrassment to the 'non-European Capitalists Party'-ANC, is that with all the above mentioned reserves and production it is shocking to learn that 'about 78% of Mining Corporations do not pay tax. They only contribute 2.5% to the National Fiscus, 7.8% to GDP yet more than 50% of our exports is composed minerals and related products'. The country is being ripped off massively by the very imperialist Institutions that funded the Apartheid system and celebrated the super-exploitation of African workers. Unemployment is standing at 25.2 as per the Labour Force report of 2013 Q1 and more than 70% of unemployed are Youth aged 25-34. On the other hand, about 3.3 million young people between the age of 15-34 are not employed nor studying. Inequality, unemployment and poverty is what South Africa has become and 20 years after the mistaken freedom workers and working class communities are still made to believe that there's Madiba magic which only worked for the highly performing National Rugby Club yet unable to resolve the crisis facing the country. Soon, poor people will be told to close their eyes and call Messiah Madiba before they apply for EPWP jobs.

The policies with which the capitalist ANC is trying to deal with the various aspects of this crisis are not working and in most cases they appear to make problems worse. The recently developed NDP-2030 believes that 90% of the job creation target will come from SMMEs which have proven to be failing due to structural challenges and other factors but this reveals the unwillingness, on the part of ANC, to untie relations with Imperialism which they prefer to call 'foreign investment'.

Our conclusion to the South African question is:

- The crisis of capitalism and the state is not confronted by a unified and determined anti-capitalist opposition. The working class, which must provide the base for this opposition, is so split into different sections and segments that it is unable to utilize the crisis and confusion of the ruling class to its own advantage. In fact, you have pseudo-revolutionaries who enjoy uttering socialist rhetoric within the ranks of the ANC only to chain the workers and the poor to their own murderer.

However, the unwillingness of union bureaucrats and the so called 'Communists' to break from the ANC doesn't take away the fact that workers, communities and the youth are like lions led by sheeps as they are determined to fight but their leaders keep on postponing the revolution. 

- The Revolutionary decision and step taken, by brave cadres, to launch Workers and Socialist Party on the 21st March 2013 as the platform to unite all the community, workers, students, socialist and women organizations under one front given that mass struggle has grown tremendously on virtually all fronts often taking a militant character. If this gains are not consolidated and the struggles are not united with a clear Marxist perspective and analysis to direct the forces in a way which maximizes they impact then elements of Xenophobic, Homophobic and Racist attacks will emerge among the poor communities influenced by the capitalists ideas and attitude. Is either we organize and build a mass revolutionary party or we reduce ourselves to commentators who are best in criticizing but the task of building is not for them.

Forward with the Working Class Power and Unity!

Forward with Workers and Socialislist Party!

Phambili nge Izwi la basebenzi!