Political Education Does It Again

The ANC’s Onica Mashego Branch took Johannesburg’s Ward 81 from the DA. The newly-elected councillor is Cde. Meisie Modiba. Another ward won from the DA (82) is adjacent to our ward, and a third ward was won from the IFP nearby in Alexandra. Viva Political Education, Viva! 18th March is the international day of demonstrations for peace, being the 3rd anniversary of the US-British-Danish invasion and occupation of Iraq. The SACP has called for organisation and the general public to join the Party in Library Gardens at 10h00 on that day, for a rally and multi-media event to show our solidarity with the occupied Iraqi people, against Imperialism and war, and for our own people’s definition of Human Rights. See this notice for details. The latest Umsenzi Online is a classic, not only for the vivid lines written by Cde. Blade Nzimande, the SACP’s General Secretary, describing an extraordinary South African electoral journey of tragedy, endurance and eventual (as we now know) triumph, but also for the inclusion of debate from our ANC comrade and member of its NEC, Joel Netshitenzhe, and from our YCL comrade and National Chairman of that organisation, David Masondo. See link below. Thanks to our Cuban comrades, we have a further report (not seen elsewhere) on the gyrations of the bull-in-a-china-shop US embassy to the United Nations, headed by the crazed John Bolton, in relation to the new UN Human Rights Council. See link. The Communist University meets tonight in the Women’s Jail, 1 Kotze Street, Constitution Hill, at 17h00, for a discussion on Liesl Orr’s “Socialism and Gender Equality”, which will be opened by Tanya van Meelis. Please be on time, comrades. Next week’s text is the chapter on Obsolescence of Housework from Angela Davis’ “Women Race and Class”. See link below. Zimbabwe deported the well-known writer and activist Pat Horn the night before last. See the linked COSATU - ZCTU combined Press Release linked below for the details. Max du Preez, a natural-born man of the cloth who has so far missed his true calling, believes that Allan Boesak was “iced out” and should not have gone to jail. He may be right on both counts, but he is wacky when it comes to saying that Boesak could have “pulled a Zuma”. (See link).The difference between Boesak and Zuma is the difference between abstract charisma and concrete politics. What political path does du Preez think Boesak would have taken? He doesn’t think, and he doesn’t say. Liberation theology has to go a lot further than Boesak ever went before it can start leading whole secular countries. Even so, it would be lovely to have du Preez, Boesak, Bishop Tutu, Cedric Mayson and all the other old faithfuls with us on March 18th for our Peace Rally. Links: Umsebenzi Online, Nzimande, Netshitenzhe, Masondo (5199 words) Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cuba on UN Human Rights Council (2003 words) Women Race and Class, Obsolescence of Housework, Davis, 1981 (7009 words) COSATU condemns Zimbabwe deportation of Pat Horn (524 words) Boesak was iced out, Max du Preez, The Star (874 words)