Media Statement presented by the Provincial Executive Committee of the Young Communist League in KwaZulu-Natal

15 December 2009

Issued by the KZN Provincial Executive Committee

In the spirit of preserving the integrity and revolutionary values of the Tripartite Alliance and the Progressive Youth Alliance, the Provincial Executive Committee of the Young Communist League in KwaZulu-Natal prefers to relay its condemnation of the manner in which the ANCYL in various provinces have treated the nature of the SACP’s Special National Congress as it successfully unfolded in the past week in Polokwane. We find media statements by these comrades very unbecoming and politically paranoid based on the following:-

1. They seek to narrowly portray the South African Communist Party as the sub-committee within the ANC without its own autonomy and its independent revolutionary platform,

2. While expectedly enjoying their democratic right to freedom of expression, these comrades are at the same time ignorant of what really transpired at the august Special National Congress of the SACP. They seem to be obsessed with what has been reported by the media and thereby loosely attacking congress delegates and senior leadership of both, the SACP and the ANC,

3. Despite the fact that the SACP has clear programs and advanced revolutionary theory, some of these comrades chose to ignore all of this and succumbed to insults of all sorts,

4. It is our belief that the Mid-Term Vision (MTV) of the South African Communist Party which fundamentally calls for building working class hegemony in all key sites of power has been superfluously confused with the campaign to oust non-communists from the ANC and the taking over of the ANC by the SACP. Clearly, we find this confusion very unfortunate,

5. The attempted crusade of political character assassination as generally dedicated to branch leaders of the SACP collaborated in some of these media statements has tried without fail to expose the challenge faced by the PYA on rendering basic teachings on mutual respect among alliance partners. This unfortunate conduct also undermines constructive engagement on challenges facing our movement,

6. We are to learn from these media pronouncements a very nearsighted re-emerging tendency of praising and promotion of an individual cult at the expense of our historical revolutionary traditions of collectivism within our beloved movement. As defeated in Polokwane (2007) this tendency should be unapologetically squashed from all angles regardless of who is spearheading and benefiting from it.

What should be done, therefore?

As YCL in this province (KZN) we wish to precisely point out that the working class and the poor of our country and beyond are not in any way interested in this unprecedented and opportunistic media jostling. They have nothing to lose except their chains of poverty, unemployment, disease and destitution.

Our clarion call is dedicated to all the structures of the mass democratic movement to continue dedicating themselves towards the social emancipation of our people (the working class and the poor).

Programs of our organizations should always continue to guide and bind us together. Ours as YCL is indeed to focus on ensuring that the resolutions of the recent august Special National Congress of the SACP are implemented. We will do so without underestimating nor elevating challenges within and outside our movement and within the PYA in particular. As YCL in the Province of Kwa-Zulu/Natal we call all PYA components including our Branches and District to heed the call by the ANC President Jacob Zuma who provided leadership by urging us not to be hoodwinked by irritants.

Putting a point across

YCL in the Province of KwaZulu Natal unlike Malema and others we are not going to open a dictionary of political insults, instead we shall as expected from the Marxist-Leninist organ, tell the truth as it is, that, the booing of Malema was not of our choosing, it was as a result of the spontaneous anger from delegates and the provocative signals made by Billy Masetla. Our General Secretary Dr. Blade Nzimande and the National Chairperson Gwede Mantashe immediately reprimanded delegates about their behavior.

It is therefore surprising and confusing to learn of the insult against the two gallant leaders of our movement. This had opportunistically been linked to the 2012 succession debates. As YCL in the Province of KZN, we support the Top Six Official of the ANC as it is, and there is no need to open a succession debate prematurely.

Another disappointing factor is the involvement of our Floyd Shivhambu in his capacity as ANCYL spokesperson in drafting all the so-called Provincial statements, projecting them as the views of the Provinces.

Nonetheless we have good relations with ANCYL Provinces, and we believe that Youth League members will not share the view that SACP members are dogs, hooligans and are like COPE.

As part of the way forward, we shall

1. Call for a three days Provincial political school between the ANCYL and the YCL, with a day delegated on Nationalization vis a vis Socialization.

2. A joint PWC meeting shall be held, where we will tabulate our Vision 2010 Programme to the ANCYL, and develop a common programme of action, as our relations must be based on programmes, not on feelings and personal cult of some (irritant) individuals.

3. And finally we call for the development of a guiding document on the rules of engagement amongst PYA components.

We hope the YL in the Province shall heed to this call as we seek to champion the interest of Young people in our land.

For more details contact
Mafika Mndebele, the Provincial Secretary in Deputy at 0735745953 (YCL)