YCLSA statement on the ANC and NUM's response to the call for nationalisation July 7 2009

As the YCLSA, we welcome the ANC's willingness to engage on the transfer of wealth to the people as a whole in a form of nationalization and/or socialization of our mines and banks. However, the ANC cannot lead society from a watered-down interpretation of the Freedom Charter and its own resolutions.

We are concerned that the ANC's interpretation of the Freedom Charter is just equated to the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act. Transfer of the minerals in the hands of the state does not necessarily mean actual transference of the wealth to the people. There is a difference between legal state ownership and people's real ownership of our mineral wealth. Legal ownership does not mean people will have control of what they own. 

In fact, under the Act had the state elite has been the using the state's ownership of our mines  to transfer our supposedly public owned resources to black elite such as Motsepes, Macozomas, Sexwales of this world who have ravaged our communities under shoddy BEE schemes.  Our people have not had control whatsoever of our mines. It has been the state elite and its black and white business partners that have more control over our mines.

This has also set conditions for the fight of control of the ANC as necessary conditions to gain control of the state, which in turn is used to allocate mining rights to a few politically connected elite.   

We are aware that many of the ANC leaders may find it difficult to implement the Freedom Charter in its progressive form not because it is not viable, possible and noble, but because new economic interests are entrenched amongst our leaders.  Many of our leaders are mining bosses; and nationalization and socialization of the mines will deny them an opportunity to be flirty rich by ripping off the poor. 

Response to NUM 

It is our considered view, that the comments attributed to the NUM General Secretary, Comrade Frans Baleni are worse than the ANC's problematic, albeit measured response. He has been quoted in Times [07 July 2009] as having said ‘Clearly if you annex private assets you will have a problem unless there is a willingness to sell. We are saying 'do these things in a dynamic way rather than through imposition'.  This is tantamount to calling for willing-buyer-willing seller model of wealth transfer - a model that has blocked the transfer of land to the people - a model that has never worked anywhere in the world.

Indeed, this is shocking for us because NUM should know better than anyone else that, there has never been any transfer of wealth from the capitalists to the workers without any form of force or ‘imposition'. There is no way in which the exploiters and oppressors of the working class shall surrender our wealth without being forced to do so.

NUM should know better that as long as capitalists own the mines, the working conditions of the workers would be worse because the capitalists are interested in profits. And improvement of workers' conditions means lesser profits for the capitalists - there is no win-win situation between workers and business. 

Our call

As the YCLSA, we are calling for the nationalisation, and eventually socialization of the mines and banks, NOT out of sheer ideology as our detractors suggests. But it is out of concrete struggles waged by our communities against the brutal theft of our resources in areas such as Maandaagshoek and Baphaalane-Ba-Mantserre.

These struggles have taught us it is only through people owned and controlled economic resources that we can eradicate poverty.

As the YCLSA we will comradely engage the NUM as well as the ANC and society in general on these questions.

Bail outs for business

We are also concerned that the Industrial Development Corporation will be dishing out R7 billion to the unprofitable companies. Why should private business losses be socialised, whereas their private gains are always privatised? This money should be used to bail out the poor. For instance, it should be used to pay ESKOM electricity infrastructure programme, which will enable the poor to get access to electricity for their own economic activities.

Issued by YCLSA Head Office

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