"And across the parapet. I see the mother of African unity and independence, her body besmeared with the blood of her sons and daughters in their struggle to set her free from the shackles of imperialism." - Kwame Nkrumah, Ghanaian leader, 1957 - 1966
My primary aim is to write a personal response to the multi-layered challenge of Africide, the propensity of Afrikans to killing each other over the perceived scarcity of resources. I wish to state a few facts about the history of Afrika and its cultural and other contributions to global civilizations. But in as I continue reading the book The Curse of Berlin, Africa After The Cold War, it dawns on me once more that a lot has been said and written already, and more eloquently than I ever could - about what Africans have done and how we can emancipate ourselves from all forms of slavery. What does it matter then, what I write and say from podiums?
Can a poem, an essay or a song alter the price of oil, bread or the school fees?
Today, I was visited in my office by three teenage girls who said that they have come into my library because they have been locked out of school, yet they still wanted to complete their homework/project, something to do with tourism and could I help?
Moreover they added that they were kicked out of school because they could not afford the school fees which total R7000 and their parents could only afford to pay for half the term.
This saddened me but I did not want to show them how deeply moved I was by their plight. I teased them about their hairstyles and we joked a bit as I proceeded to pick out books and magazines that would help them to finish their schoolwork ...
One of the three girls had a central Afrikan accent and I later discovered that she was actually from the un-Democratic Republic of Congo, she was the only one who had already done her homework even before they came, but they all had the same financial problem.
To me this visitation was just a sign that beyond any shadow of doubt, the so called xenophobia problem in Southern Afrika is a direct result of the socio-economic imbalance deliberately created by the colonial experience of Afrikans everywhere.
Conditions of inequality and non-transformation of every sector and aspect of black lives is rooted in the neo-colonial project so precariously mismanaged by the the ANC government and indeed all the governments of an un-liberated Afrika.
We remain colonial subjects partly due to our leaders unscrupulous dealings with the West and our own unwillingness to wage a pan-Afrikan revolution, one that is detribalised and centred on ensuring each unique Afrikan countries sovereignty while maintaining a common cause - that cause being to strike a death-blow to white capitalist monopoly.
So while our young girls are let loose on the streets simply because they cannot afford an education ( as flawed as that may be), we are busy flirting with our new colonizers, the Chinese oligarchs and neo-monopoly capitalists in high places.
These girls may be in Grade 10 now, but they may end up on some Sushi-eatists table come next-year.They are already clad in Brazilian weaves and Chinese stockings, they are already wearing Chinese lip-gloss and listening to hyper-sexualized Amerikkkan music from a media that has black faces in white masks. Who will save them from the world that does not love them?
Who will liberate their minds from the mental slavery, cultural imperialism and the debauchery of the globalized CBD?
When will these young black women graduate from a useless education system to Self Knowledge and a liberatory spirituality and politics?
These are some of thequestions I will have to ask on their behalf when I attend the seminar on education tomorrow -
Ironically it is titled: The Doors Of Learning And Culture Shall Be Open ...
Tell that to those black children who cannot afford the fees.
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Claim No Easy Victories
"The question that arises is whether the triumph of those market ideologies is polarizing the globe along racial lines more deeply than ever, with black people almost everywhere at the bottom, white people in control of global wealth, and Asian people in intermediate levels of stratification. Is this the global apartheid that is emerging, at its sharpest between white and black?" - Ali A.Mazrui, professor of international relations.
By way of introduction I would like to locate Professor Mazrui's statement as a clarifying note worth taking. The South Afrikan situation remains the most precarious of condition where inequality is played out in violent confrontations between black bodies, but barely ever touches the white community. The emergence of the Economic Freedom Fighters as a force to be reckoned in the political sphere has made an impression locally and globally, but is it misdirected revolution or is there still potential to salvage what is good about the movement? Within or Without parliament - Is there still adequate space and time to -
RESPOND TO THE TASKS OF THE REVOLUTION! SAVE THE SOUL OF EFF!
After the NPA in Mangaung we looked at the strategic objective of the EFF, it's long/medium/short term goals, and it's program of action and we asked ourselves:
1. What have we lost?
2. What have we gained?
We are now living through the adverse implications of the NPA in Mangaung. What we experienced at the NPA was a loaded performance. It made us understand why ghost branches were approved at the highest levels of leadership, the CCT and its war council. We basically witnessed a ritual of power in a situation where almost 50% of expected delegates did not turn up. The obvious question in this context was, do we really have an organization?
Anyway, we looked at the stated strategic objective including the long, medium and short term goals of the EFF and questioned whether our actions contributed towards achieving or liquidating the said objective. We created and joined EFF to help develop a revolutionary movement consistent with a future where the total needs of our people are responded to. Those of us who are disciplined cadres within EFF consistently continue to demonstrate absolute fidelity to the ideas of EFF throughout our political life in the movement even when elected to formal positions of leadership. We condemned EFF leadership for corrupting the foundational principles of the movement and demanded that
they account to our people who voted for the EFF! We exposed the numerous problems regarding the misconduct of EFF leadership, in relation to:
1. leaderships violation of the EFF constitution that exposed their manipulation of the results of the NPA to ensure that only loyalists to them were elected to the CCT.
2. Open attempts to appropriate the legacies of Steve Biko, Robert Sobukwe, Thomas Sankara and Chris Hani into bourgeois state power and to this end get our people to consent to an order of things destined to relegate the black liberation project to the periphery.
3. Purging of those not loyal to Malema and Floyd from the movement without proper procedures being followed. All Leaders and Fighters that question the Malema leadership have been silenced.
4. The ridiculing, threatening and intimidation of members who try to hold leadership accountable for non compliance with the purport and spirit of the non negotiable cardinal pillars of the movement.
5. Turning the movement into a militia gang where fighters are commanded and thugs are hired by leadership to physically assault members who disagree with them.
6. Leaderships misuse and mismanagement of party funds.
7. Corruption of the resolution of the land question. EFF has moved from from calling for expropriation of all land to calling for the occupation of "unoccupied" municipal land only. On mining we are now targeting the mines of blacks for occupations and blockading. White interests remain secured!
When Khanyisile Lichfield-Tshabalala, Andile Mngxitama, Mpho Ramakatsa and Lucky Twala lodged a high court application in March this year accusing Julius Malema and Floyd Shivambu of under-handedness and corruption regarding both the financial affairs and the ideals of the EFF, the first three members were expelled and Lucky Twala was suspended from the party. Subsequently all four members were expelled from parliament.
It is important to note that the Court application lodged by the 4 EFF MPS asks for an order declaring the National People’s Assembly (NPA) held in December 2014 null and void and also that the current Central Command Team (CCT) has no legal capacity to undertake any disciplinary action against them. The 4 members indicate numerous instances of violation of the EFF constitution as well as the rules and guidelines governing the election of leadership. They provide evidence of how the NPA was compromised and how this has rendered its outcomes a nullity.
Following the EFF NPA in December 2014 and on on 21 February 2015 in Mangaung, Free State the "Save The Soul Of EFF" Campaign was launched. On this day we pledged our commitment to struggle both inside and outside our revolutionary movement, towards a transparent and consultative leadership. We undertook to remain loyal to the EFF. We clarified that loyalty is in the first place to the realization of the seven cardinal pillars of the EFF and not to individuals. We committed ourselves to demonstrate to the whole world that EFF is a revolutionary movement that is against corruption and bad leadership and more specifically that it exists and operates in the interests of the black majority. We undertook to use the "Save The Soul Of EFF" Campaign as an instrument to cleanse the movement of all capitalist, compradoreial tendencies and corruption.
Currently our country is plagued by the anti black campaign of the ANC led government against "foreign nationals". The critical question in this context is how do we turn the war amongst our people into war against the anti black neo colonial system? Our situation of war among our people is a reflection of the crisis of neo colonialism on a continental and by extension a world wide scale. The inability of the Party to focus its efforts on redirecting the frustrations of South African blacks against the real enemy being neo colonialism is not in line with the politics of EFF. Also the Party's promotion of the anti black campaign by EFF KZN against so called Indians in KZN is concerning. This campaign was launched by EFF KZN and national leadership has been silent when called upon to condemn it as anti black and to this end give direction on the resolution the national question. The Party's clear lack of revolutionary direction regarding the two anti black campaigns as well as land and mines repossession has tainted the revolutionary image of the movement and this is in urgent need of rectification.
The tasks of the revolution in this context are clear. Right now the silence of the revolutionary movement to lead our people to respond to these tasks raises the biggest concern! What is to be done? This is where the "Save the Soul" campaign must play its role to develop the EFF into combat readiness mode so as to respond to the urgent and long term tasks of the revolution!
Land or death!
Victory is certain!
Save the Soul of EFF!
22 April 2015
By way of introduction I would like to locate Professor Mazrui's statement as a clarifying note worth taking. The South Afrikan situation remains the most precarious of condition where inequality is played out in violent confrontations between black bodies, but barely ever touches the white community. The emergence of the Economic Freedom Fighters as a force to be reckoned in the political sphere has made an impression locally and globally, but is it misdirected revolution or is there still potential to salvage what is good about the movement? Within or Without parliament - Is there still adequate space and time to -
RESPOND TO THE TASKS OF THE REVOLUTION! SAVE THE SOUL OF EFF!
After the NPA in Mangaung we looked at the strategic objective of the EFF, it's long/medium/short term goals, and it's program of action and we asked ourselves:
1. What have we lost?
2. What have we gained?
We are now living through the adverse implications of the NPA in Mangaung. What we experienced at the NPA was a loaded performance. It made us understand why ghost branches were approved at the highest levels of leadership, the CCT and its war council. We basically witnessed a ritual of power in a situation where almost 50% of expected delegates did not turn up. The obvious question in this context was, do we really have an organization?
Anyway, we looked at the stated strategic objective including the long, medium and short term goals of the EFF and questioned whether our actions contributed towards achieving or liquidating the said objective. We created and joined EFF to help develop a revolutionary movement consistent with a future where the total needs of our people are responded to. Those of us who are disciplined cadres within EFF consistently continue to demonstrate absolute fidelity to the ideas of EFF throughout our political life in the movement even when elected to formal positions of leadership. We condemned EFF leadership for corrupting the foundational principles of the movement and demanded that
they account to our people who voted for the EFF! We exposed the numerous problems regarding the misconduct of EFF leadership, in relation to:
1. leaderships violation of the EFF constitution that exposed their manipulation of the results of the NPA to ensure that only loyalists to them were elected to the CCT.
2. Open attempts to appropriate the legacies of Steve Biko, Robert Sobukwe, Thomas Sankara and Chris Hani into bourgeois state power and to this end get our people to consent to an order of things destined to relegate the black liberation project to the periphery.
3. Purging of those not loyal to Malema and Floyd from the movement without proper procedures being followed. All Leaders and Fighters that question the Malema leadership have been silenced.
4. The ridiculing, threatening and intimidation of members who try to hold leadership accountable for non compliance with the purport and spirit of the non negotiable cardinal pillars of the movement.
5. Turning the movement into a militia gang where fighters are commanded and thugs are hired by leadership to physically assault members who disagree with them.
6. Leaderships misuse and mismanagement of party funds.
7. Corruption of the resolution of the land question. EFF has moved from from calling for expropriation of all land to calling for the occupation of "unoccupied" municipal land only. On mining we are now targeting the mines of blacks for occupations and blockading. White interests remain secured!
When Khanyisile Lichfield-Tshabalala, Andile Mngxitama, Mpho Ramakatsa and Lucky Twala lodged a high court application in March this year accusing Julius Malema and Floyd Shivambu of under-handedness and corruption regarding both the financial affairs and the ideals of the EFF, the first three members were expelled and Lucky Twala was suspended from the party. Subsequently all four members were expelled from parliament.
It is important to note that the Court application lodged by the 4 EFF MPS asks for an order declaring the National People’s Assembly (NPA) held in December 2014 null and void and also that the current Central Command Team (CCT) has no legal capacity to undertake any disciplinary action against them. The 4 members indicate numerous instances of violation of the EFF constitution as well as the rules and guidelines governing the election of leadership. They provide evidence of how the NPA was compromised and how this has rendered its outcomes a nullity.
Following the EFF NPA in December 2014 and on on 21 February 2015 in Mangaung, Free State the "Save The Soul Of EFF" Campaign was launched. On this day we pledged our commitment to struggle both inside and outside our revolutionary movement, towards a transparent and consultative leadership. We undertook to remain loyal to the EFF. We clarified that loyalty is in the first place to the realization of the seven cardinal pillars of the EFF and not to individuals. We committed ourselves to demonstrate to the whole world that EFF is a revolutionary movement that is against corruption and bad leadership and more specifically that it exists and operates in the interests of the black majority. We undertook to use the "Save The Soul Of EFF" Campaign as an instrument to cleanse the movement of all capitalist, compradoreial tendencies and corruption.
Currently our country is plagued by the anti black campaign of the ANC led government against "foreign nationals". The critical question in this context is how do we turn the war amongst our people into war against the anti black neo colonial system? Our situation of war among our people is a reflection of the crisis of neo colonialism on a continental and by extension a world wide scale. The inability of the Party to focus its efforts on redirecting the frustrations of South African blacks against the real enemy being neo colonialism is not in line with the politics of EFF. Also the Party's promotion of the anti black campaign by EFF KZN against so called Indians in KZN is concerning. This campaign was launched by EFF KZN and national leadership has been silent when called upon to condemn it as anti black and to this end give direction on the resolution the national question. The Party's clear lack of revolutionary direction regarding the two anti black campaigns as well as land and mines repossession has tainted the revolutionary image of the movement and this is in urgent need of rectification.
The tasks of the revolution in this context are clear. Right now the silence of the revolutionary movement to lead our people to respond to these tasks raises the biggest concern! What is to be done? This is where the "Save the Soul" campaign must play its role to develop the EFF into combat readiness mode so as to respond to the urgent and long term tasks of the revolution!
Land or death!
Victory is certain!
Save the Soul of EFF!
22 April 2015
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