The term “revolution” has been in vogue among the new ANC leadership since the Polokwane conference in December 2007. Many of us knit our brows in shock and have often been left astonished and wondering, “What the hell are they talking about? What damn revolution?” Having listened painstakingly to the revolutionary rhetoric of the new ANC and observed political events taking shape in the country, I arrived at the conclusion that therein lies something we are not being let into. Suffer me to impart my interpretations of these recent “revolutionary” developments.
That the struggle for the liberation of the oppressed black masses was a struggle deeply rooted and inspired by socialist ideology is common knowledge. The Freedom Charter, although many in the ANC may violently contest this assertion, makes it explicit that the ideals which the liberation struggle was waged for were, among others, the socialist ideals.
There has been increasing reference within the ANC to the so-called National Democratic Revolution, which is informed primarily by the Marxist theory of national democracy and Chairman Mao’s theory of “new democracy”. According to Lenin, “without revolutionary theory, there can be no real revolutionary movement”, and thus resurgence of revolutionary rhetoric and some measure of hooliganism.
The dawn of the new democratic dispensation in 1994 was the completion of the first revolution: the bourgeois-democratic revolution, although socialist in character, was to advance capitalism. This is consistent with what former President Nelson Mandela said in 1955 at the annual congress of the ANC in Bloemfontein, that the Freedom Charter would, “… open up fresh fields for the development of a prosperous non-European bourgeois class”.
President Mbeki also in 1999 at the conference of the Black Management Forum spoke, “to the question of the challenge of the formation of a black capitalist class, a black bourgeoisie.” The president continued to state that, “the ANC would change its character once it had completed its historic mission; once the purposes for which it had been established had been accomplished.” The purpose for which the ANC was established is clearly enshrined in the Freedom Charter, which as I have already indicated, demands gradual progression towards a socialist state.
The bourgeois-democratic revolution, according to Chairman Mao, “serves the purpose of clearing a still wider path for the development of socialism”, which will be brought about by the second revolution: the proletarian-socialist revolution. This revolution would be led by the proletariat — those ordinary poor mass supporters of Cosatu and SACP — with the aim to establishing a “new democratic society” brought together by the common struggle against capitalist exploitation.
Jacob Zuma marched to Polokwane to the drum-beats of proletariat for whom he had modelled himself as their saviour and thus emerged triumphant to advance the proletarian-socialist revolution. The message to the proletariat when going to Polokwane was clear – the leadership of President Mbeki that was monopolised by the bourgeoisie had become an instrument of suppressing the basic rights of common people. And so Jacob Zuma and his henchmen emerged the leading force to advance the new democratic order.
Joe Slovo in 1988 said, “… according to these views (bourgeois-democratic) there will be time enough after apartheid is destroyed to then turn our attention to the struggle for socialism. Hence there should be little talk of our ultimate socialist objectives. The working class should not insist on the inclusion of radicals’ social measures as part of the immediate agenda because that would risk frightening away potential allies against apartheid.”
The talk of transition, largely by Gwede Mantashe, can be loosely interpreted to construe transition from the Mbeki administration to the Zuma administration (if by then he is not in orange overalls), but such transition if interpreted in line with revolutionary rhetoric can be understood to mean transition towards socialism. We have already been witness to the existence of elements of socialism in the form of nascent social appropriation of the economic means via collective ownership – the broad-based black economic empowerment. Increased legislation from employment equity to black economic empowerment has been the necessary preliminary to the eventual social appropriation of the means of production and to enable effortless transition to socialism.
Malcolm X of the Nation of Islam said, “… a revolution is bloody, … the Russian revolution was bloody; Chinese revolution was bloody; French revolution was bloody; Cuban revolution was bloody; and there was nothing more bloody than the American Revolution.”
Charmain Mao explained the hostile relationship between the revolution and counter-revolutionaries; that counter-revolutionaries may be dealt with in four ways: (1) execution, (2) imprisonment, (3) supervision, and (4) leaving at large. Stalin never hesitated to execute those who stood against the revolution by carrying out counter-revolutionary sabotage of one kind or another.
The new ANC has already identified some of the counter-revolutionaries; those who they claim are resolute in their intentions to reverse the gains of the revolution. Julius Malema of the ANC Kindergarten League, Zwelinzima Vavi of Cosatu and Buti Manamela of the Young Communist League have fired their warning shots to counter-revolutionaries and signalled their intention to take up arms and “kill”. The deputy secretary general of the MK Veterans also made their intention crystal clear, “… No Zuma, no country…”
The struggle for national liberation appears to have taken some shape that none of us ever imagined.
Bravo! So Sentletse you are still african after all. There is still hope that your distorted view of this country and the plight of its majority voters can be refocused in the right direction.
Impressed but still confused!
@ Kit; it doesnt count to what degree a black person was disadvantaged, the word says it all “disadvantaged, if to 5%- or 100% doesnt matter in our society, because Blacks were deprived of their personal and intellectual development (to a certain degree, yes) but does it make it better?
Advantaged = Advantaged 5% or 100% “EGAL”, whites were advantaged PERIOT.
Whites in this country know that they are “Africans” and they don’t know how to practise any other culture but their own, which is why we a a nation. Where will you go? Back to Holland, UK, Germany??? Where? They wont want all of you there, so it is obvious that whites would rather want a SA that is based on solidarity, because now they are suffering the consequences of their forefathers and it hurts huh? At least children, mothers, fathers, possible Einstein’s…etc did not have to die in the process and who are you know WHAT we feel, all the frustation doesnt go anywhere it stays and travells with the new generation on and on.
E.g. The Jews are complaining till TODAY about “Das Deutsche Reich” and that they want compensation for their killed *ancestors* that is 63 years ago (I have to add that Jews belong to richest people in this world, I know everyone here knows that) and the Regime did hold for long and didnt kill as much indiviuals as in SA *alone*. When a black person wants compensation (i.e. BEE, AA, RDP…etc) it is pulling the “race Card” or we are told let gone by’s be gone by’s, after not even 15yrs?????…come on. And Blacks have been opressed and killed for hundreds of years, WE are REPRESENTING the whole of Africa and all potential talent that was just murdered.
@Kit: What you are asking for is something that could be answered, but doesnt have any relevance to what is really happening.
In apartheid there was alot of collateral damage (So a minority can live in luxury, blacks must be oppressed and in the process killed,), so now the implementation of BEE, AA, black parties A.N.C., SACP are literaly the same just WE dont KILL you. Where is a problem with that? There we go Capitalism, dont white people think that if more Black people(which is the majority of SA) would have a better education, it would benefit us as a nation? And there we go, whites don’t want to be categorised with black people, coz it is a step back for them as a White-global-regime.I still see white ignorance and greed.
KIT, of course, individuals were affected at varying degrees; but what is the logical and practical solution at that level?
We can enter into a debate once you can tell me how you invisaged the government redressing the apartheid inequalities of millions.
KIT & LEBO, there is relevance for quoting the increase in number of dollar millionnaires.
Besides what Economics 101 teaches, even common sense (which is not always common among all of us) suggests that consumer spending in an economy that is not operating at optimal level can lead to aggregate macroeconomic outcomes with are positive.
Read John Maynard Keynes’ “The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money”.
Your marginal propensitty to consume increases as your disposable income rises. While Say’s Law suggests that, “supply creates demand,” in these modern times, demand does create supply. Producers of goods and services are ever trying to meeting increasing demands of consumers; that means rise in production, which should lead to more employment (that fuelling more consumer spending), and economic growth.
We have seen a correlation between rising disposable income over the last few years and economic growth; unfortunately the consequence had been rising inflation.
Brain Drain
Actually according to De Klerk about 1 million votes WERE rigged in our first election in 1994, which meant the NP got 20% not 25% of the vote.
Michelle
If the Jews are rich now – it is from hard work. They could not have been more destitute or more broke than after the Second World War. You sound just like a Nazi.
AND there are more black capitalists in SA than white ones now.
The worms are not crawling but flying out Pandora’s Box.
The following excerpts from the
…………….mouths of politicos in person
-justifies my statement that SA is DEGRADING.
“”The criminal justice system is unacceptably dysfunctional and the “fragmented” and inadequate crime statistics do not necessarily reflect the true situation in the country,
“the government has admitted.”
Large numbers of cases went unreported because people had lost faith in the criminal justice system, while more than 50 percent of all crime scenes were currently not being combed for forensic clues.
This was revealed on Wednesday by……
Deputy Justice Minister Johnny de Lange in his recent report to the Cabinet lekgotla.”"”"
“”The Gauteng education department has kicked out the entire management of the worst-performing district in the province.
Sedibeng West’s lousy mid-year matric results and the brutality of a teacher who branded 23 kids with a hot knife prompted the department’s action.
“What happened at the school was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” …………
said the Gauteng education MEC’s spokesman, Panyaza Lesufi, pictured.
“The department has released the entire management from their duties.”
“”Moleketi……….
warned that cities would have to dig deep, and negotiate their own loans to make up the shortfall – in excess of R2-billion – for the completion of stadiums.
The amount necessary was “something to the north of R2-billion as we speak”, with figures expected to change along with the global cost of goods, he said.
But Moleketi …….
laid much of the blame squarely at the feet of the host cities, who had opted for technical and very expensive designs with “all the bells and whistles”.
He called on host cities to take responsibility for the increased costs.
Thus far, the government had spent R6-billion
……..on the construction of stadiums, the bulk of it going to contractors and the rest to professional services, the moneys spent proportional to progress at the stadiums.”"
“”Political pressure is mounting on Agriculture and Environmental Affairs MEC Mtholephi Mthimkhulu to clean up his crisis-ridden department or resign.
This comes in the wake of calls by the department’s employees………..
to the ANC to put pressure on premier S’bu Ndebele to fire the MEC amid allegations of racial discrimination and “jobs for pals” in th
“Unless we can assess the extent of the deluge left in one of the province’s most important departments, no remedial action of substance and benefit to the people of KwaZulu-Natal can take place,” ……………………said Mtshali.
He added that the ANC’s refusal to publicise the forensic report had created a sense of lawlessness and encouraged further anarchy in the department.”"
Denialism is no longer enforced ?? Or not?
Sentletse Diakanyo – Please excuse my tweeting over your post.
Michelle – “Now you tell me, which political concept has worked to a hundred percent, regardless of the location of the govern to country, in the long run that is?”
Sorry. The fact is that is that I know of no government system or political ideology past or present that has ever worked in the service and to the satisfaction of the people it is ordinanced to benefit.
To create a Utopian system of governance is beyond the memes of human capability in its current form. The homo sapien species has not progressed enough and cannot in terms of the natural evolutionary processes, elicit responses that are inclusive to the aspirations of recipients. Our genomes just do not allow this to happen.
On current form though, a light form of socialism with a heavy dose of capitalism seems to keep the knives in the draw.
“”It is safe to say that you are unwell, madam. It is strange that a person like yourself who cannot string a single original thought can condemn a whole country and continent JUST LIKE THAT. Find the nearest head shrink and pay him/her huge amounts of money over the next 10 years or so. That’s the amount of therapy you’ll need.
Bonginkosi on August 12th, 2008 at 1:53 pm”"
I do not have 10 years left – any way from here on, I will let the politicians speak for me and save your sensitive soul with my “unoriginal” mind. Silly me to have said the SAAF will soon be earth bound and grounded.
Defence Minister
……..acknowledges there are only 20 pilots left (with tables)
The Minister of Defence, Mr. Mosiuoa Lekota, says the Air Force has in the past three years lost 91 pilots and 822 technicians. At present the Air Force has only 20 operational fighter pilots.
This is the answer to a question of Mr. Pieter Groenewald of the Freedom Front Plus in Parliament. {DAMN OPPOSITION!}
“It is clear that the Air Force is busy collapsing. Apart from the concern about the pilots, the true crisis is the huge number of technicians which have been lost.
Without technicians airplanes can not be ………….maintained or flown.
This is also one of the main reasons why the Cheetah fighter jets were phased out 4 years earlier than originally planned. This situation makes South Africa vulnerable against other African countries such as Zimbabwe”, Mr. Pieter Groenewald (MP), chief spokesperson on Defence for the Freedom Front Plus said.”
Michelle
“E.g. The Jews are complaining till TODAY about “Das Deutsche Reich” and that they want compensation for their killed *ancestors* that is 63 years ago (I have to add that Jews belong to richest people in this world, I know everyone here knows that)
“and the Regime did hold for long (ABOUT AS LONG AS ANC TO DATE) and didnt kill as much indiviuals as in SA *alone*.”
Good old Nazis you were OK it seems.
Refresh my memory please.
Were millions – MILLIONS? killed in SA>?
@ Sentletse
So, now you’re starting to delete my posts, a sure sign that you cannot answer me.
…. and what was your question EAGLE?
It is this theorising tendencies Sentletse that has lead this country where it is right now. We have forgoten the basics. Allleviating poverty cannot be achieved simply by leaping from the worst side of wealth continuum to the highest end. It wuold be accpetable to the poor if more of them received better houses as opposed to shacks in bricks, than to have a growing number of the dollar millionaires with no benefit to them.
Once again how does this improve the lives of the poor majority of this country? Did knowing that Patrice has achieved a dollar billionaire status benefit any of the poor out there? I like him though because after Polokwane he has assumed a low profile and you only see him in soccer games.
At least he has been able to identify something that connects him with the ordinary people of this country though they still do not benefit from his recently attained wealth status.
Bonginkosi
Old,female pale face is 76 years old. What an insensitive and spiteful comment. She is worried about her children and grandchildren!
Michelle
6 million Jews were killed. Aids denialism has caused over 2 million deaths. Deaths by the Nats were about 600 of persons detained. I don’t have the figures for battles and riots.
@ Sentletse
“and what was your question EAGLE?”
If it wasn’t deleted, you would have known, Sentletse.
It will be posted again. Let’s see what happens this time.
@ Michelle
Lyndall says:
“Deaths by the Nats were about 600 of persons detained”
Deaths due to violent crime alone, since 1994 under the current government, are in the region of 280 000. That is not counting the millions upon millions of rapes, often of babies only a few years old. Is there even a comparison?
LEBO
“…after Polokwane he has assumed a low profile and you only see him in soccer games.
At least he has been able to identify something that connects him with the ordinary people of this country”
Hmmm!
Ditto, it makes me think of Saki Macozoma, there’s been some quietness there.
LEBO, this is basic economics, there may not be direct benefits, but as the wealth of a nation rises, indirect benefits are in abundance.
There’s a clear disctinction when it comes to leadership difference in the ANC – those who look to the SACP and COSATU to realise their dream of ascending the country’s rule. Was Madiba part of this shameless grouping, and is Zizi part of it? I doubt if Mboweni, Manuels, Mphahlwa are part of this clique…
And then of course, Nzimande cannot be a communist, can he? As for Vavi, leader of the capitalist- enslaved proletariat – is he communist also? VIVA ANC- SACP- COSATU!!! anyone diverting from this ideology must be eliminated, comrades! Now for the 3rd revolution, place your get- rich- quick ducks in a row and ensure they toe the line, otherwise raise Polokwane…..
@ Sentletse
As promised, my previous post, and my questions.
@ Sentletse
Please tell me how you feel that blacks were disadvantaged by “Apartheid”.
And then tell me why the Dutch, when they first landed here in the 1600s, found indigenous people who were completely illiterate and by the terms of the day, uncivilized, from what is presumably, the oldest race on earth? Note that said indigenous people had never seen a white man by that time.
The convenient scapegoat “Apartheid” officially ended 14 years ago, unofficially it ended more than 25 years ago. It took the Japanese 10 years after their almost total economic destruction after the Second World War to start dominating global trade and production worldwide, and they were still under American military rule at the time.
Similarly it took the white Afrikaner about 14 years after the virtual destruction of his whole race where 28 000 women and children and 7 000 men were murdered during the Anglo-Boer war, to be well on the way to recovery under colonial rule. Comparatively how has your race progressed since “Apartheid”? Or have you gone backwards, and why?
Eagle: The Afrikaner was in the Free State, Natal and Cape Colony as well as the ZAR – to say they were almost wiped out is a step too far
Also the japs only started dominating global trade in the late 70′s to early 80′s… the first japanese cars were only exported to the States and Europe in the late 70′s… as were the cameras and radios – sure Japan got off their arses and rebuilt their country, but the turnaround did take a few generations. Sadly I doubt ZA will be the shining beacon for Africa that it still has the potential to be, as African Politics have not really gained any sophistication – it merely has western ideals thrust upon, which is then leveraged and abused by those in power to justify or vindicate their actions.
Why can’t we all be honest, and just admit that tribalism ultimately is the only ‘political’ system that exists in Africa? We window dress it with words like election and democracy, but ultimately it is nothing more than a bunch of megalomaniacs and henchmen running the affairs of africa… once in a lifetime one monarch may be fairer than another.
Brain Drain
Is it tribalism or communism? What is the difference between Stalin, Mao, Castro and Mugabe and Gadaffi?
Remember that African independence co-incided with the cold war and both sides supported dictators.
EAGLE, do you care to elaborate on how Africans were uncivilised
@ Sentletse
Up to your old tricks again, dodging questions. Not surprising given the examples set to you by your leaders.
Answer my questions and I will answer yours.