Building socialist youth alternative in South Africa, the Socialist Youth Movement.

Within short space of its formation, Socialist Youth Movement (SYM) is gaining traction amongst the working class youth and students in particular. Since its establishment in Tshwane in May this year, SYM has already built points of support and is creating branches in campuses of Universities of Tshwane, (TUT), Vaal (VUT), Pretoria (Tukkies), Rhodes, Limpopo (Turfloop), Free State ( UFS) and College of Sekhukhune
FET, etc. The rapid development of SYM is a reflection of the objective desire for a genuine fighting, democratic and mass political alternative for the working class youth and students. 

And that the students are orientating towards SYM which is openly militant and socialist in its programme, in search of this political alternative, is also a vindication of the political and class consciousness of the working class youth, which is a remnant of the revolutionary traditions of struggle amongst the working class youth from the 70’s to the 90’s which were pivotal in the defeat mainly by the organized workers and working class youth in black townships and campuses. 

The dramatic collapse of the traditional student organizations such as Sasco, Pasma and Azasco is a result of degeneration of these organizations, ideologically and politically into puppets of university managements and havens for opportunists looking for lucrative careers in campuses, government and corporate world. Whilst students are facing increasing attacks in the form of academic and financial exclusions, with universities and colleges hardly admitting students at the beginning of the year, these organizations are paralyzed like their mother bodies by factional struggles over seats power and positions in the SRCs and tender boards. 

SRCs under their leadership have ceased to be democratic organizations of student struggles, instead student politics have become reduced to nothing but platforms to organize entertainment events, with freshers-balls, endless parties being the main feature and all the tendering processes, corruption and embezzlement of students funds that comes with that. There are no longer political and theoretical debates that are reminiscent of the revolutionary student movement in the 70s and 80s, and with this, any sense of historical and ideological perspective for struggles of the working class and poor people, in which the youth and student movement traditionally played an important role in the past. 

Without clear perspectives, the student struggles have also suffered the same paralysis that is there in other fronts of working class struggles, in the workplaces and communities, owing to the same opportunistic leadership of trade unions and Old civics in townships and rural areas. The leadership is incapable of working-out clear strategy and tactics, with a fighting programme of popular and revolutionary transitional demands, an effective plan for rolling, mass actions and bold slogans to win over the masses of students and agitate them into motion. 

Consequently, the masses of the students are leadersless and even where they dare to fight, led into a blind alley of isolated and episodic rioting, instead of a disciplined, united and well co-ordinated national campaigns to defeat increases in student fees, academic and financial exclusions, for a free education, linked with community and trade union struggles around a programme to fight for decent jobs for all, the youth in particular who make over 70% of the 7,6 million army of the unemployed and to open doors of learning in public institutions of higher learning and further training to all. 

History Justifies the Creation of SYM; Build it now. 

The abdication of historical and political responsibility by these organizations which were forged with the blood of young militants in the struggle against apartheid regime, demand the creation of Socialist Youth Movement. The failure of the leaders of these organizations and other aligned youth bodies such ANCYL, YCL, PAYCO, etc to provide a fighting platform to the youth fighting for a better living conditions in service-delivery protests that are daily occurrence in communities, for access to further education and decent jobs for over 3,3 million young people of university-going age of 18-25 who are ‘Not in Employment, Education and Training’, the NEET’s as they call them, for cancellation of massive student debt which stood at R13,2 in 2010, for young workers fighting cheap labour systems in the mines, internships, learneships, and the daily betrayals of students struggles and rampant corruption in SRCs, cries out loud for the establishment of a genuine mass socialist alternative for the working class youth and fighting students, that SYM intends to be. 

We want to revive youth militancy in the traditions of the revolutionary student and youth movement of anti-apartheid struggle, to shape the destiny of this country, Africa and the world in which there will be bright future for the youth on the basis of better living conditions in communities, decent jobs and free public education from the cradle to the grave, which can only be realized in common struggle with their parents, the organised workers in trade unions and communities on the basis of a political programme to fight to rotten system of capitalism which impoverishes them and for a socialist transformation of society. Currently, this unity of purpose and struggle find its expression in the creation of the Workers and Socialist Party, which we support and aim to build on campuses as well to unite students with the workers, lectures and surrounding communities. 

The challenge remains for students and young people to establish SYM branches in their campuses, workplaces and communities. There is going to be a national conference before the end of this year to bring together all young people committed to this process to adopt a constitution, platform and work-out political programme and tactics for the struggles of youth. The conference will also be an important platform to discuss the mass revolutionary movements unfolding everywhere today, from North Africa, Middle East, Europe to Latin America, Brazil, their lessons and perspectives for the south African and world economy, revolutionary movements of the working class of the mineworkers, farm-workers, communities and students. 

Students and young people generally interested in forming part of this conference must to contact us on our facebook page, Socialist Youth Movement and start building now. 

Reading Circles and actions

This semester SYM establishes reading circles at the universities. It developed a reader with socialist classics. In studying socialist classics we aim to empower young people, deepen our understanding of this society, sharpen our analysis of the current situation and form a program how to act and to develop struggles. The Reader contains texts about economy, history, philosopy, racism, the national question and many more. 

We ask you to join us, read, establish a reading circle and SYM branch to discuss the works in this booklet on a regular basis and engage with us in the struggle for socialism. Capitalists have not wasted the current economic crisis. They have used it to attack the working class and poor people, to roll back the social and political gains of struggle. Innocent and unarmed workers and poor people are being murdered for merely protesting, authoritarianism in increasing everywhere, South Africa has lost over 2 million jobs since the crisis started, there is no future for many young people, without hope of jobs or access to higher education. They are making us homeless through evictions. 

In a nutshell, we are paying for the crisis, not of our creation. Let’s fight for nationalizations of the mines and the whole commanding heights of the economy to fund free education, cancellation of student debt and creation of decent jobs for all. The dividend paid to Angloplat shareholders of over R29 billion would have been enough to wipe out a student debt nationally and still fund free education in that year, if it was nationalized and democratically managed. Profits of just 9 mine companies only in 2010 would have been enough to create 2,3 million jobs, paying each worker R12, 500 workers are demanding. Currently, there are only 5,18 000 poorly paid and overworked mineworkers in the country. These shows how much can be achieved if these companies were taken into public ownership and democratic control and on the basis of a socialist alternative to the capitalist crisis, with its high levels of unemployment, poverty, etc. For this we need a fighting and democratic youth, workers and community organizations independent of the main capitalist parties, ANC, DA, PAC, etc. And above all, to build WASP to unite all these forces on the basis of a fighting and socialist programme. It is time for SYM to live and lead. Build it now.

Phambili nge Revolution

Forward with International Socialism!