Red Alert: SACP not just 94: the Party is experienced, steeled in the depth of knowledge and practice of our revolutionary struggle, and is dependable!!
The 94th anniversary of the SACP occurred just after a successful COSATU Special National Congress which inspired millions of our people and activists to make a bold claim without fear of any contradiction that COSATU is still a home of all workers in South Africa and that COSATU still belongs to the Congress Movement!
The 94th anniversary of the SACP just after a very successful Alliance Summit where we conducted self-introspection leaving many of our cadres and activists certain that despite all the challenges our revolution remains on track under the leadership of the ANC-led Alliance.
The 94th anniversary of the SACP is not just an expression of many years of SACP’s existence. It is an expression and a representation of experience and knowledge, revolutionary practice and tradition, political and ideological depth, leadership and clarity of thought which has over the years and continues to be consistently provided by the SACP in our struggle for liberation!
This SACP has arrived at its 94th anniversary carrying scars of war against capital. The Party has fought to defend us as workers from many attacks which continue to be directed at us as the organisation of workers.
The SACP has reached its 94 years of existence carrying on its shoulders a number of success stories and responsibilities.
For an example, amongst all the four alliance partners, the SACP is the most relatively stable, organisationally intact and ideologically coherent formation!
When the ANC started a process of clarifying the vision for a future South Africa it drew from the expertise of the cadres of the Communist Party such as comrade Moses Kotane, Govan Mbeki and Thabo Mofutsanyane amongst others. The movement formulated the document on Africans’ Claims in South Africa which was a precursor to the Freedom Charter, what was also written with the leadership and participation of the SACP which was then an underground organisation but its leaders and cadres played a leading role in open organisations. No wonder the Apartheid regime hatred the Freedom Charter with passion and labelled it a communist document.
When the movement established Umkhonto weSizwe, it relied on the experience and bravery of SACP cadres many of whom were the first to occupy the front ranks of the MK and took the most daring and dangerous responsibilities which they executed with distinction.
It is not difficult to trace the SACP’s influence in the 1969 Morogoro Strategy and Tactics which had many perspectives derived from the Party’s 1962 political programme the Road to South African Freedom. Many of those perspectives developed first by the SACP, such as the theses of colonialism of a special type, the national democratic revolution and the national democratic state continue to guide our movement to this day. These perspectives accurately described the realities and contradictions of our country and conceptualised our collective way forward!
It is the SACP which led the way on the movement’s policy posture as we prepared for our democratic transition when it developed a document titled Path to Power adopted by the SACP’s 7th Congress in 1989 in Cuba which was followed by the ANC’s ‘Ready to Govern’ policy guidelines for a democratic South Africa adopted in 1992
When the apartheid regime unleashed death squads and the IFP war lords on our communities to shoot and plunder, it is the SACP which took the initiative to properly conceptualise this as low intensity war fare against our people and moved to also properly conceptualise the Self Defence Units which operated based on political direction.
Who can forget how COSATU was attacked during its launch 30 years ago; who can forget the bombing of COSATU house; we recall with pain the violence unleashed at the people of Boipatong; in hostels in Soweto; in Thokoza; the attacks that were directed at Shell House; the Bisho Masacre; and countless other events where our people were massacred by the regime in the apartheid regime and the IFP low intensity war fare.
We can say without fear of contradiction that in each of these events the SACP occupied the front ranks to defend the people and it did so without claiming any martyrdom.
When the liberation movement was preparing for negotiations and in the actual negotiations it also relied on the clarity of thought and experience of the cadres of the Communist Party. The very sunset clause which laid the basis for the democratic breakthrough came from the ranks of the SACP which properly understood the implications for our people if no settlement was reached.
The SACP has the proven ability to intervene during decisive moments in our revolution and its interventions always open up the way forward.
As we speak the SACP has developed a document titled ‘Going to the Root’ which is aimed at facilitating discussions by the liberation movement and all activists on what should be the basic content of our second, more radical phase of democratic transition.
It is this compelling history of ideological clarity, firmness on principle, flexibility in the application of tactics, steadfastness in grasping the moment and understanding the detail in the existing material conditions to inform strategy and of being a reliable ally which made comrade Oliver Tambo to say:
“…those who ask us to desert our allies ask us to forget the enduring bonds that we have developed together in the trenches. The South African Communist Party in particular is inextricably woven into the fabric of our struggle and by its commitment and actions earned itself the honourable place of being a worthy and indispensable component of the national liberation movement. As for the Socialist countries, let it be said unequivocally that they have proved, by word and deed, that they are true friends of our people’s cause; that without them and other friends Umkhonto and our national liberation movement, headed by the African National Congress, would not have become the force that we are today”.
When COSATU was formed 30 years ago, it is the SACP and the ANC which intervened at the decisive moment when the unity talks were about to collapse and forced the UDF affiliated unions – (then referred to as the magnificent 7) to go back to the negotiations and to do everything to ensure that the formation of COSATU became a success!
When we fought and won the battle for new labour relations Act, we did so working closely with the SACP as our natural ally and the political mouthpiece of the working class!
When we fought against Gear, against privatisation and when we fight against neo-liberal policies and against the 1996 class project, we relied on the presence of the SACP on our side!
It should therefore not be a surprise that when COSATU is under attack today the SACP has remained unambiguous and decisively took the side of defending COSATU regardless of the insults that were hurled at the Party and its leaders.
All those who want to destroy our organisations; they first start by attacking the SACP and sometimes the very attacks expose the ideological and political bankruptcy of the attackers.
It is difficult to imagine what was going to happen if the current offensive directed at COSATU and the liberation movement as whole were happening with the SACP not on its maximal point of unity and of being combat ready as it is today!
When the founding principles of COSATU were being undermined, the SACP did not put its head in the sand; it openly fought and defended COSATU!
When the NUM was under attack at the platinum belt the SACP went there physically to provide support to the NUM as part of their programme to defend COSATU and the entire liberation movement!
When the character of COSATU as a militant and radical federation of trade unions was being contested with an intention to change COSATU into a political organisation the SACP unambiguously said not when we are still alive!
When there were attempts to steal COSATU unions towards the formation of the so-called united front and the so-called socialist movement the SACP openly entered the ring and said we refuse that COSATU must be sold to the highest bidder.
When workers stood up in their numbers and voted with their feet to defend their federation from being stolen at the recent Special National Congress it is also because they have listened and seen the SACP and the entire Alliance standing up to defend COSATU!
We dare to make a claim that with SACP on our side who can touch us?
It is because of this proven track record of the SACP that as COSATU we want to tell anyone who cares to listen that those who may seek to create a wedge between COSATU and the SACP must forget. The SACP is our party, this is our shield, our political representative. We will not desert the Party, not today, not tomorrow, and not at any time in the future!
But this experience and success of the SACP imposes a heavy responsibility on the leadership of the Party.
As we prepare to build the unity of COSATU based on waging focused struggles to address issues affecting workers and as we build COSATU based on our Back to Basics Programme which directs us to spend more time with workers at the shop floor we rely on the SACP for support through joint programmes.
As COSATU we say with the SACP on our side nothing can stop us from our journey towards the South Africa of the Freedom Charter as the most direct route to Socialism!
The SACP is our ally today, tomorrow and into the future of Socialism!!
Cde Bheki Ntshalintshali is COSATU Deputy General Secretary, Acting General Secretary.
This article first appeared in Umsebenzi Online, the online journal of the SACP.
