Breaking the Ice, a Response to "An Old Stranger in the Mist ( Julius/ Manamela)" by Nqaba Bhanga

(Note: To read Nqabas Article click on the title)

Comrade Cabral always moved from the premise that we must, “tell no lies, and claim no easy victories” and I think that is just but one thing that our ‘Stranger’ (Nqaba Bhanga) can learn from this fearless revolutionary. In response to the bile that he wrote, I must admit that it would be a difficult exercise to talk to the issues that are raise by Nqaba without talking to him as an individual, who is a COPE member, but I will try. Marxism has taught us well that there is no one who can raise issues impartially without representing and or defending his or her own class interests and we for sure know the class interest that Nqaba is representing.

Upon reading the article, it becomes apparent that despite his years in the movement Nqaba did not in anyway grasp the essence of the revolutionary alliance, if that is not so, he is clearly suffering from historical amnesia and the tragic accident that caused that is known to all of us.

Our alliance is premised on the realisation of the Freedom Charter objectives, which the ANC/ ANC YL views as ultimate objective whilst the SACP/YCL, including COSATU views them as minimum goals towards the realisation of the ultimate objective, which is socialism. Failure to grasp this can be remedied with political education. Equally so, knowing this whilst intentionally distorting it is tantamount to political thuggery.

Yes indeed the YCL is a youth wing of the SACP, but due to the nature of the alliance the YCL has the same interest in the direction the ANC takes because that direction is part of the realisation of its ultimate objectives. What Nqaba seems to suggest is that there was no reason for the alliance in the first place and that the alliance was just a mere unity of convenience. This is a clear historical distortion and similar to Nqaba, people who have held this view have either being expelled by the movement or left on their own. Turning the ANC into a narrow nationalist movement is a horrendous mistake to ever make and Cde Mbeki for sure knows that.

Nqaba wrongly asserts, “The Polokwane Development missed a every (very) important point, defining a tactical relationship and strategic relationship.” This is wrong in that Polokwane adopted the Strategy and Tactics document that explains the nature of our struggle, more especially on how that struggle should be waged. It can be said that the Strategy and Tactics document is not a document of the alliance but of the ANC but it has clear linkages to the party programme, “South African Road to Socialism.” A person who cannot see this is either a narrow nationalist or an anti-communist; we can forgive those that did not give themselves enough time to read these documents.

Nqaba fails to assert that the main problem here is between those who want to use the movement for personal enrichment and those that view this as a compromise on the programme and therefore intolerable. It is not a clear conflict between petty bourgeoisie/nationalist and communist, as many nationalist disagree with this ‘new tendency’.

Yes indeed the divergent opinions from the YCL and ANC YL leaders must not be individualised, but they should be located within the broad scope of those who want to abuse state power and benefit from tenders (some nationalist) and those who believe that some of these acts are refocusing us from our strategic mission (communist, but not all of them).

The battle is indeed ideological, but not in the narrow terms as Nqaba puts it, but because of those who disagreed with the 1996 class project not only because they were contra to its state looting and corrupt agenda, but only because they were not part of the abusing inner core and they therefore thought Polokwane brings the opportunity for looting, communist such as Gwede, Buti, Blade and others therefore become obstacles to this agenda, hence the rise of narrow nationalism and anti-communism. It’s similar to tribalism. Lest we forget that the ANC was formed to unite the people of South Africa.
Tell no lies