Dustbin of History

In South Africa, Jacob Zuma won the support of the ANC Women’s League, dashing the last hopes of the incumbent for some sort of last-minute reversal. The ANCYL also supported Gwede Mantashe over Mosiua Lekota for Secretary-General, and Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma over Joel Netshitenzhe for National Chairperson. If the Provincial Nomination Conferences were a tactic that were supposed to give a new lease of life to “yesterday’s men”, they failed miserably. The opposite result has come about.

The only honourable course left for the Mbeki-ites now is to capitulate and to rally behind Jacob Zuma for the sake of the ANC, before they all leave the political stage for good and without complaints. The dishonourable course is to attempt some sort of “scorched earth” or wrecking policy in their last days. Any such “bitter-ender” behaviour should be swept cleanly and with contempt into the dustbin of history, to join Tony Blair of Britain (see picture) and John Howard of Australia.

In Bolivia a Constituent Assembly has been meeting for fifteen months in the town of Sucre to hammer out a new constitution. Sucre happens to be in a part of that country that is still dominated by white settlers, who have now rioted and killed people in an attempt to prevent the new constitution being passed by the majority. Nevertheless the new constitution was passed by the Constituent Assembly. The US Imperialists are continuing to encourage the settlers in their reactionary terroristic actions.

This afternoon at 17h00 the Communist University meets in the SACP boardroom, 3rd floor, COSATU House, 1 Leyds Street, Braamfontein, to discuss Local Dual Power. In addition to the first document linked below (which we have not been able to print, so read it on-screen or print it yourself, please), we are also now able to read about and to compare the approach of some of Johannesburg’s “Social Movements” in the form of Operation Khanyisa Movement (OKM). We also have an extract of an important government Foreign Land Ownership Report (Thanks to the comrade who sent it. The full PDF is available on request). See the second and third items linked item below.

On Sunday, 2 December 2007, the SACP Johannesburg Central Branch will meet at 10h00 in the SATAWU offices, 13th floor, Old Mutual Building, 29 Kerk Street, between Loveday and Harrison, Johannesburg. During the meeting there will be a political discussion, led by the Communist University, on the topic of the ANC Conference from a Communist Perspective.

The Chris Hani Institute is going to have one more seminar this year, on 6 December, to discuss the future of the ANC. This will feature Adam Habib, the well-respected academic and political commentator, as well as Cde Gwede Mantashe, who has been nominated for the very important post of Secretary-General of the ANC, and who is currently the Chairperson of the SACP. The event will take place from 10h00 in COSATU House (10th Floor). This is a major occasion. Be there if you can!

All the above three items, and many others, are included in the “Coming Events” page of the Communist University. Please use this page, comrades. It is not going to be possible to duplicate every mention of every covered there in these e-mails. The link is usually given at the bottom of each post, but it is a constant address, which you can make a “Favourite” or “Bookmark” in your web browser.

Our veteran comrade Esther Barsel is not very well at the moment. She stays at Madison Gardens, in 1st Avenue, Kew, (near the junction with 5th Street, and not far from the Savoy shopping centre on Louis Botha Avenue). Esther’s phone number is 011 440 7322. Please visit Cde Esther if you can.

Finally, from today’s Business Day, Karima Brown quotes the “Communist Manifesto”!

Click on these links:

Local Dual Power, Johannesburg Labour-Urban Federation (2167 words)

Experiences of Johannesburg Operation Khanyisa Movement (755 words)

Foreign Land Ownership Report, Assessment and Conclusion (3530 words)

CHI Seminar, Habib, Mantashe, Future Challenges of the ANC, 6 December 2007 (notice)

All that is solid melts into air around Mbeki, Karima Brown, B Day (717 words)

Coming Events