Leaders and Bandits

The Communist University convenes this evening at 17h00 at the Women’s Jail, 1 Kotze Street, Constitution Hill, to discuss credit bureau blacklisting and the SACP’s campaign for a credit amnesty. Comrade Nkosiphendule Kolisile, Secretary of SACP Yusuf Dadoo District, YCL National Committee Member and YCL National Working Committee Member, will open the discussion. Next week Friday is June 16th and the CU will not, repeat not, meet on that day. On Sunday, May 18th the Johannesburg Central Branch is going to meet and will debate a motion on the “State Power” discussion document. Therefore this week is a good time to read it again. Our next CU session will be on June 23rd, when we will discuss excerpts from Lenin’s “What is to be Done?”. COSATU has not hesitated to denounce the wanton economic vandalism of the Reserve Bank’s interest rate increase, announced yesterday by its governor, Tito Mboweni. See link below. In response to loose journalism in the Citizen newspaper yesterday, the Young Communist League has announced that it unequivocally supports the Alliance of the SACP, COSATU and the ANC in the current phase of the National Democratic Revolution. See the link below. Bulelani Ngcuka, former chief Scorpion, who once persecuted ANC Deputy President Jacob Zuma and many other innocents, but released Mark Thatcher, must be the only businessman who never speaks except through a full-time spokesperson, Sipho Ngwema. This time it has to do with Ngcika’s resignation as chairman of Amabubesi Investments. Perhaps this is so as to appear to distance himself (although he keeps his shares) from the embarrassing Amabubesi mission statement which says: “Most businesses interface with the government at all levels, either for business or to influence strategic thinking. Our association with decision-makers at the highest level enables us to influence strategic decisions in our country.” Mr Ngcuka’s wife is the current Deputy President of the country, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka. She was appointed following Jacob Zuma’s removal from his position in the wake of Mr Nguka’s leaks, briefings, public smearing and prosecutions of Zuma when Ngcuka was head of the NPA/Scorpions. As much as Nguka’s business manoeuvres may seem complex and obscure, yet the overall picture is all too clear. Distancing and spokespersoning are not going to succeed in hiding this scandalous picture, even if most of the media plays along (for the moment). See the linked document. An opinion poll yesterday found that 51% of South Africans believe that Jacob Zuma is most likely to be South Africa’s next President. 51% is not 100%, but it is still a winning score. The Progressive Women’s Movement, daughter of the ANC Women’s League, is having a meeting today in the larney Sandton Hilton, where it will launch a “concept document and proposed constitution” for this organisation of “political parties, women in business, unions, faith-based organisation and non-governmental organisations”. See the linked notice. Umrabulo 25 is the latest issue of the theoretical political journal of the ANC, published yesterday. It contains a (linked) discussion document on the leadership succession, specifically that of the President. Meanwhile Xolela Mangcu in the Business Day has some kind words to say about the SACP and COSATU for once in his life. See link below. Click on these links: COSATU condemns interest-rate hike (247 words) YCL statement on Citizen article of 8 June 2006 (190 words) Bulelani Ngcuka goes it alone, Roy Cokayne, Business Report (504 words) Meeting of the Progressive Women's Movement, ANCWL (notice) Addressing challenges of leadership, Umrabulo 25, May 2006 (5751 words) Nongqause comparison shirks analysis, Xolela Mangcu, Business Day (782 words)