“We Are Africans Not Because We Are Born In Africa But Because Africa Is Born In US” Kwame Nkrumah
Happy Africa day.
President Oliver Tambo made his timeless remark in his speech at the 60th anniversary celebration of the South African Communist Party.He said; “Ours is not merely a paper alliance, created at conference tables and formalised through the signing of documents and representing only an agreement of leaders.
“Our alliance is a living organism that has grown out of struggle’’.
This is what has characterizes the deep relationship between our two organisations, South African Students Congress and the Young Communist League of South Africa, an alliance born out of struggle!
The symbiotic relationship between the South African Students Congress and the Young Communist League of South Africa, can be traced as far back, to before the actual conceptualisation of the Progressive Youth Alliance. Wherein these two organisations, decided amongst themselves to be allies in the pursuit of the National Democratic Revolution. This is even before the ANC Youth League and COSAS formed part of the PYA in it’s current form. This relationship, if we are to be historical, can be traced back to the very founding of the NUSAS in 1924. This can be traced to two historic causalties; the first being the fact that NUSAS was formed 3 years after the formation of the CPSA. This established firm grounding for the establishment of NUSAS which was in stark contrast to then more prevailing reactionary conservative normatives in south African Sorciety at the time. The second was the fact that the progressive student movement have always been class biased and this intern influenced the progressive contributions that it made to class struggle and political liberation in our country.
Firstly, across the spectrum of the political divide Ufasimba remains the stronger of our ideological allies within the PYA. Throughout the evolution of ideological debate within our own organisation each of our Congresses have been moving between identifying ourselves as a Marxist-Leninist organisation and using the tools of Marxism-Leninism to view and analyse our body politics. This relationship has grown closer and the YCLSA has always played a critical role in availing itself to provide political and ideological assistance to us. The YCLSA remains a central influence on the broader body politic of the Progressive Student Movement. This has manifested materially as many leaders in the YCLSA and SASCO respectively have served interchangeably in both structures at some point, this is none more more evident than in the current leadership of the YCLSA.
Secondly, The blood of the Komsomol from which you derive your ancestral existence was first tasted in the then Union of South Africa in the 1922 Mineworkers strike. In the above event, and for conditions of the labour climate, the YCL working with the Communist Party of South Africa, as the SACP was then known, took the fight to the doorstep of the Chamber of Mines. Across the colour bar, white workers died in Brakpan and a monument exists as a testament of this historic moment in our labour history. I mention this event to vindicate history as it was, not only in the manner that we want history to be.
In 1924 Thomas Mbeki and Stanley Silwana were the first Africans to be part of the CPSA gatherings were recruited by the then YCL leaders Sachs and Roux. The recruitment and organising of African workers intensified towards the 1924 conference. Over the years the young Moses Kotane, Ahmed Kathrada and Ruth First (who served as the YCLSA Secretary) would join Ufasimba and go on to lead the ANC and the Party. This symbolises to us the progressive and non-Sexist history of Ufasimba for it to be led by a woman as National Secretary as early as the 1940s.
In wishing Ufasimba its 98th birthday we are equally at pains with the sky rocketing rate of unemployment in South Africa, the continued disenfranchisement of the most marginalised and growing futility of the working class. As SASCO we are making strides to massify higher education through access and success but we are saddened by the number of unemployed graduates which have given rise to campaigns such as #Hire A Graduate. We hope that Ufasimba will take this anniversary to reflect on this quagmire and come up with creative ideas in response to this crises. We are also looking to Ufasimba to come to the party and work with us in conceptualizing what type of a workplace and imagine how the factory floor will look like in the fourth industrial revolution. In the latter instance, how does the country upskill its youth to be able to adjust with the changes that come with the digital revolution.
Lastly, SASCO wishes to re-intensify the solid political relations with Ufasimba by rolling out a bilateral political review mechanism which will work towards creating a seamless transition from school into the job market through dual and tracking method of membership. This will enable us to share and develop a skills reserve between the organisations in response to the above challenges that confront young people. I leave you comrades with the opening words of Vladmir Lenin in the October 1920 address on “The task of the Youth Leagues” when he said that young Communists must always “learn, learn, and learn.”
Issued by SASCO NEC
Bamanye Matiwane
President
Buthanani Ngwane
Secretary General
For Enquiries:
Luvuyo Barnes
Media and Communication Liaison
079 393 7131