NUMSA SALUTES THE NEWLY-ELECTED UK LABOUR PARTY LEADER COMRADE JEREMY CORBYN

14 September 2015

The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) salutes the election of comrade Jeremy Corbyn, as the new leader of the United Kingdom’s Labour Party.

Comrade Corbyn has been one of the most consistent left leaders of the Labour Party who has a deep appreciation and understanding of Marxist thoughts and ideas, in order to understand the socio-economic miseries and injustices faced by the poor of the world as perpetuated by the inhumane and unjust system of Capitalism.

We are confident that his leadership triumph renews Labour Party’s revolutionary traditions and character as a Left formation, rooted in the working class and popular struggles not only for the working class and the poor of the United Kingdom, but all over the world.

Furthermore, his election signals a growing anger amongst the vast section of the working class in the United Kingdom against the brutalities, wars and austerity measures of the capitalist system. We welcome the possibility of a radical, militant, and anti-imperialist Labour Party, and an alternative British government that puts the needs of the people before profits.

Comrade Corbyn’s ideological positions on many issues are consistent with Numsa’s ideological perspective on the persistent crisis of capitalism in South Africa and the world. His definitive calls for nationalisation of strategic sectors in the UK, demands to fight growing inequalities, poverty and many social injustices, his abhorrence of capitalist wars, his willingness to take on the capitalist class, his positive refusal to have the working class pay for the sins of the capitalists through austerity measures are all our positions.

We are happy, therefore, to note that Comrade Corbyn’s policy positions resonate with the resolutions we took in our ground breaking Numsa’s Special National Congress (SNC).

Numsa is happy to note the growing world socialist energies in Latin America, Western Europe, Africa and Asia. We are happy to note that even in the US, Bernie Sanders, an openly confessed democratic socialist, is making waves in the ongoing primary elections.

Numsa takes this opportunity to assure comrade Corbyn that he has allies in South Africa, in the name of the Socialist orientated trade union, Numsa. We wish him well in his new responsibilities.

Statement issued by Castro Ngobese, NUMSA National Spokesperson, September 14 2015