Left seizes control of South Africa’s ANC

[KurtFF8]

Source (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article5581272.ece)


A communist firebrand has shifted the ruling party to the left

RW Johnson in Johannesburg

div#related-article-links p a, div#related-article-links p a:visited { color:#06c; } SOUTH AFRICA’S ruling African National Congress (ANC) has veered sharply to the left and will go into elections, expected to be held in April, with a manifesto largely dictated by the country’s Communist party, according to senior party officials.
Under Jacob Zuma, its new leader, it has quietly adopted a radical platform of social policies which the business community claim are unaffordable.
The ANC already promises a free allowance of water and electricity to all and has introduced the largest welfare state ever seen in a developing country, with more than 40% of the population in receipt of state handouts.
Under the influence of its firebrand new secretary-general, Gwede Mantashe, a former leader of the mine-workers’ union and chairman of the South African Communist party, it is adopting policies and rhetoric based on left-wing states such as Cuba and Venezuela.
Related Links




Zuma faces corruption battle as election looms (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article5497298.ece)



ANC leader Zuma in corruption charges blow (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article5500394.ece)




Hailed by Zwelinzima Vavi, the trade union leader, as “a peasant, a worker, an organic intellectual, a Marxist and an African communist”, the bearded Mantashe is loud, dominating and furiously partisan. He has purged suspected supporters of Thabo Mbeki, the former president, and those who show “insufficient revolutionary fervour”.
Under his influence the ANC is expected to propose, in its as yet unpublished manifesto, the introduction of universal health insurance, free education, the extension of child allowances to all children up to the age of 18, new maternity grants, wage subsidies, an old age savings scheme, subsidised housing for farm workers and military veterans, free food handouts to all poor families, an expanded public housing programme and the “transformation” of the private sector through the “development of cooperative financial institutions”.
Greta Steyn, one of South Africa’s leading financial analysts, describes it as “a massive shift to the left”. The markets, she says, are in denial and have failed to price in the risk of what lies ahead. What it means, she suggests, is that the country’s budgetary framework “must be thrown into the bin”. The markets, she warns, “should wake up and smell the rot”.
The ANC insists that its programme is affordable but has provided no costings.
Servaas van der Berg, professor of economics at Stellenbosch University, has shown that even a basic income grant of R100 (£7) a month would force up marginal income tax rates from 40% to 66%, without counting the cost of the rest of the programme.
The only alternative to tax increases would be massive foreign borrowing to fund state handouts. Trevor Manuel, the government’s finance minister, warns that South Africa already has one of the world’s largest current account deficits and needs at least £15 billion a year in foreign investment just to stay afloat.
Under Mbeki, president from 1999 until his resignation last year, the communists became increasingly bitter at what they regarded as their political marginalisation. However, Mbeki’s decision to ditch Zuma, his popular deputy president, in 2005, gave them a second chance. They rallied to Zuma’s defence and, buoyed by his strong Zulu support, triumphed when he became the ANC leader in 2007.
Although dogged by corruption charges, which he denies, Zuma, himself a former communist, will be the ANC’s presidential candidate.
He has allowed the communists to dominate the drafting process of the ANC’s new manifesto and the party’s economic programme. Mantashe continually stakes out positions some way in advance of mainstream ANC policy, coming out strongly for the creation of more state enterprises, particularly in the mining sector.
When business groups asked how this could be squared with Zuma’s promise of policy continuity, Mantashe brusquely told them that “continuity and change is a dialectical concept”. They were not reassured by the Marxist terminology.
Mantashe stands for the absolute supremacy of party over government. When black judges failed to find for the ANC in an important court case, he railed against them as “counter-revolutionaries” and “apartheid apologists”. He has already announced that after the election “we [the party] will sack any ministers who do not perform”.
The ANC programme calls for the assertion of party control over the central bank, with its interest rates set in line with social needs rather than for the control of inflation, as in the past.
Azar Jammine, the influential chief economist of the Econometrix consultancy group, warned: “The consequence could well be a huge withdrawal of money. This would mean that South Africa could be unable to finance its current account deficit, the rand would plummet, inflation would soar and it would lead to a financial crisis.”
Kobus Marais, finance spokesman for the opposition Democratic Alliance, accused the ANC of “having its head in the sand” and refusing to take notice of the international economic crisis.
Merely increasing child benefit to age 18 will, he said, cost an extra £3 billion.
Zuma, who knows relatively little about economics, seems unconcerned. “He is determined to take radical steps,” one of his closest confidants told The Sunday Times last week.
“He’s happy to do what the communists recommend if he thinks it will help the poor.
“But he knows the communists have their own agenda and there could be an early showdown with Mantashe, who seems to think that he will decide which ministers should stay and which should be sacked.”
ZUMA’S MANIFESTO
A pledge to create 5m new jobs
Family allowance of £15 a month up to age 18
Free universal health insurance
No school fees for 60% that currently pay for state education




While I haven't heard much good about the SACP, this seems to at least be better for the ANC than having non-leftists in power in the ANC to push neo-liberalism.

[Angry Young Man]

I'd contribute to this thread in a constructive way if I didn't have to do this:
“a peasant, a worker, an organic intellectual, a Marxist and an African communist”, the bearded Mantashe is loud, dominating and furiously partisan. :wub::wub::wub:

[Yazman]

Sounds like an interesting development, although given the nature of party politics I do not expect much. I do not really know much about south african politics, perhaps a few comrades around here could help us out on this matter?

[Leo]

Both the ANC and the SACP are vicious anti-working class organizations, I wouldn't expect anything positive from the increased influence of SACP in the ANC. Check out these articles on the ANC and SACP during the latest strikes:

http://en.internationalism.org/wr/306/struggles-in-SA

http://en.internationalism.org/wr/227_south_africa.htm

http://en.internationalism.org/wr/277_zabalaza.htm

[Charles Xavier]

Both the ANC and the SACP are vicious anti-working class organizations, I wouldn't expect anything positive from the increased influence of SACP in the ANC. Check out these articles on the ANC and SACP during the latest strikes:

http://en.internationalism.org/wr/306/struggles-in-SA

http://en.internationalism.org/wr/227_south_africa.htm

http://en.internationalism.org/wr/277_zabalaza.htm

You're off your rocker, the ICC is against everything progressive they might as well be called fascists. They are against the liberation of Ireland, they were in favour of absenting during the Lisbon treaty, saying if you vote you recognize the bourgeiosie or some bullshit.


The website you just posted are saying the defeat of South African apartheid is anti-working class and all national liberation movements are anti-working class.

The ANC is an alliances of anti-apartheid organizations, Zuma is its leaders and it now has the Big Bourgeoisie as his enemy, the working class follows the ANC, the communist party in South Africa are a communist party that contributed greatly to the liberation from apartheid and rose to prestige in front of the working class as its representive.

The ANC purged from its ranks, its leadership, the big bourgeiosie members who were looking to enrich themselves and their class at the expense of working people.

The situation unfolding with the new leadership of the ANC is 100% progressive.

[Leo]

You're off your rocker, the ICC is against everything progressive they might as well be called fascists.

You are a nationalist as well as a first world chauvinist with your vicious support of the native rulers of the third world, you are the last person to call anyone a fascist.


They are against the liberation of Ireland, they were in favour of absenting during the Lisbon treaty, saying if you vote you recognize the bourgeiosie or some bullshit.

Yeah.


The website you just posted are saying the defeat of South African apartheid is anti-working class

No, we are simply saying that only the abolition of capital internationally can solve the problems of the working class as well as those who are subjected to national and racial oppression.


and all national liberation movements are anti-working class.

Yes.

Nothing less than proletarian revolution is enough for us, and class struggle being the dynamic of historic revolutionary change is our only perspective.


The ANC is an alliances of anti-apartheid organizations

The ANC is an anti-working class organization based on the exploitation of the South African working class.


Zuma is its leaders and it now has the Big Bourgeoisie as his enemy

Only a fraction of the big bourgeoisie. Zuma himself is not that different from them.


the working class follows the ANC

Is that why 500,000 workers went on strike against the ANC?


the communist party in South Africa are a communist party that contributed greatly to the liberation from apartheid and rose to prestige in front of the working class as its representive.

SACP is not a "representative" of the South African workers or those oppressed racially in South Africa, they are merely the new left-wing policemen (and quite literally) of the bourgeois state.

[Charles Xavier]

My point exactly, you've gone so far left you've aligned yourself with the far right.

[Mindtoaster]

Bump

This thread needs more attention then it is currently receiving

[Leo]

My point exactly, you've gone so far left you've aligned yourself with the far right.

Not at all, it's just that you can't comprehend opposing all bourgeois factions since you feel you always have to support one bourgeois faction of the other.

[Charles Xavier]

Not at all, it's just that you can't comprehend opposing all bourgeois factions since you feel you always have to support one bourgeois faction of the other.


Yet this isn't the choice. We are choosing the working class and not factions of the bourgeoisie.

The SACP and the ANC are able to serve the working class, especially since the bourgeoisie members have been purged from the ANC.

Not every country is the united states of america, where the choice is democrat or republic, or conservative or liberal. The ANC aren't liberals.

[Leo]

The SACP and the ANC are able to serve the working class, especially since the bourgeoisie members have been purged from the ANC.

I think that only a faction was purged, not the bourgeois members, and I disagree that SACP and the ANC are able to serve the working class; they are the ones attacking the working class, the strikes mentioned were organized against them and their measures.


The ANC aren't liberals.

They are a bourgeois organization nevertheless. They are some sort of social democratic nationalists.


Not every country is the united states of america

I don't live in the US, I live in the middle east.

[Charles Xavier]

I think that only a faction was purged, not the bourgeois members, and I disagree that SACP and the ANC are able to serve the working class; they are the ones attacking the working class, the strikes mentioned were organized against them and their measures.



They are a bourgeois organization nevertheless. They are some sort of social democratic nationalists.



I don't live in the US, I live in the middle east.

Man you should work for a grocery store, you're a label machine. And if you read the most recent of your ICC articles it was Thabo Mbeki, now purged from the ANC who ordered the attacks. And if the head of the police is a communist party member, it does not mean the communist party condoned it or ordered it themselves. And there can be opportunists in any party even elected into government. The situation changed since the as with the dialectic, once wrong now right.

The COSATU succeed in what your articles states what its intentions were in replacing the corrupt leadership of the ANC. So you quote an article from July 2007, and 2004 this is an entirely different situation in South Africa politics. You are criticizing a 2007 and 2004 ANC with a new 2009 ANC with Jacob Zuma as its leader.

So read stuff before you use that as evidence because you are criticizing ANC's pro-business policies which have been given the boot.

[Leo]

Key bourgeois politicians remained in their posts, it was obviously not just Mbeki and his crew. Both the ANC left as well as the SACP were involved as they were involved with Mbeki as well previously as well as the supression of the strike. There is widespread discontend among the working class so the bourgeoisie puts out a bit more left face, and not a even a new left face either. Nqakula for instace, the police chief, Minister of Safety and Securty is tipped for bigger "glory" with the strength of his party at his back. Zuma is no better either, only clean from direct involvement because he was pushed out of the government on corruption charges.

[Mike Rotchtickles]

SACP taking control of the ANC is one of the worst things that could ever happen to the country. It will go to the dogs. The SACP will turn this country into a one party dictatorship which it almost has been for the past 10 years. The difference now with the SACP taking control is that any dissent will be squashed ruthlessly. Thabo Mbeki was also a person that did not allow views that opposed him and tended to go into labeling people racists and such if they disagreed with him. The removal of Thabo Mbeki from power has kind of released the 'straight jacket' that he had on intellectual debate on the country. There are more discussion and debates these days. however, i believe that this is a reflection of the lack of grip of power and influence the current crop of ANC leadership holds on media & other institutions. The government is still filled with Mbeki loyalist at strategic positions. Now if you look at what the SACP led ANC has been planning to do you will see their intentions of having complete control of supposedly independent institutions in the country. Firstly they want to control the SABC (state broadcaster) which is already under much government control but does have a bit of independence. Secondly they have been fundamental in destroying the 'scorpions' an institution aimed at investigating organised crime. It has also prosecuted many of the corrupt leaders within the current ANC leadership. Another thing this ANC leadership has done is spew dangerous rhetoric, such as labeling judges who make judgements that go against the ANC as counter-revolutionaries if they are white, and apartheid-apologists if they are black. This leadership has also used language similar to that used in Rwanda prior to the genocide. Labeling dissenting voices as cockraoches who need to be crushed, baboons, dogs, and recently calling old women in the newly formed opposition(COPE) as witches. Much of this language is responed to with great applause from the uneducated and highly i mpoverished masses. Now remember these impoverished masses also went on a killing spree in the beginning of 2008 against African foreign nationals. The SACP has used the disgruntled masses to hijack the ANC but these masses will not recieve anything in return. The manifesto of the ANC is very similar to what has been said by other political parties but that is not where the danger is. Look at the people. ANC president is a leader with no single idea of his own. All he does is sing and dance( The song he keeps on singing is called 'Awuleth umshini wam' meaning ' bring me my machine gun'). This man is a polygamist which I have no problem with but he does not seem to have an end insight of the number of women he intends marrying. He also has about 18 children(obviously this man does not know what a condom is). during the ANC campaign last year this man said things like: young pregnant girls should be taken and locked up in far off places. Suspected criminals should not be given the rights to remain silence they must be forces to talk. There's alot more he has said.

Now you also have the leader of the SACP(Blade Nzimande) whom I think has ambitions of becoming the next Prez. This man is living one of the wealthiest lives in Africa. His wife is millionaire capitalist. You have other multimillionaires within the Top ANC brass (Tokyo Sexwale-mining tycoon, Cyril Ramaphosa and Mathews Phosa). Jacob has also been funded by a lot of businessman for his trial and he even got about R400 000 ($40 000) for a wedding ceromony.

Now all of these people within the ANC leadership are power hungry polticians who believe that now Thabo Mbeki is gone it is their turn to rape the state resources of South Africa.

I tell the left in this country does not give a damn about the people.

[Charles Xavier]

SACP taking control of the ANC is one of the worst things that could ever happen to the country. It will go to the dogs. The SACP will turn this country into a one party dictatorship which it almost has been for the past 10 years. The difference now with the SACP taking control is that any dissent will be squashed ruthlessly. Thabo Mbeki was also a person that did not allow views that opposed him and tended to go into labeling people racists and such if they disagreed with him. The removal of Thabo Mbeki from power has kind of released the 'straight jacket' that he had on intellectual debate on the country. There are more discussion and debates these days. however, i believe that this is a reflection of the lack of grip of power and influence the current crop of ANC leadership holds on media & other institutions. The government is still filled with Mbeki loyalist at strategic positions. Now if you look at what the SACP led ANC has been planning to do you will see their intentions of having complete control of supposedly independent institutions in the country. Firstly they want to control the SABC (state broadcaster) which is already under much government control but does have a bit of independence. Secondly they have been fundamental in destroying the 'scorpions' an institution aimed at investigating organised crime. It has also prosecuted many of the corrupt leaders within the current ANC leadership. Another thing this ANC leadership has done is spew dangerous rhetoric, such as labeling judges who make judgements that go against the ANC as counter-revolutionaries if they are white, and apartheid-apologists if they are black. This leadership has also used language similar to that used in Rwanda prior to the genocide. Labeling dissenting voices as cockraoches who need to be crushed, baboons, dogs, and recently calling old women in the newly formed opposition(COPE) as witches. Much of this language is responed to with great applause from the uneducated and highly i mpoverished masses. Now remember these impoverished masses also went on a killing spree in the beginning of 2008 against African foreign nationals. The SACP has used the disgruntled masses to hijack the ANC but these masses will not recieve anything in return. The manifesto of the ANC is very similar to what has been said by other political parties but that is not where the danger is. Look at the people. ANC president is a leader with no single idea of his own. All he does is sing and dance( The song he keeps on singing is called 'Awuleth umshini wam' meaning ' bring me my machine gun'). This man is a polygamist which I have no problem with but he does not seem to have an end insight of the number of women he intends marrying. He also has about 18 children(obviously this man does not know what a condom is). during the ANC campaign last year this man said things like: young pregnant girls should be taken and locked up in far off places. Suspected criminals should not be given the rights to remain silence they must be forces to talk. There's alot more he has said.

Now you also have the leader of the SACP(Blade Nzimande) whom I think has ambitions of becoming the next Prez. This man is living one of the wealthiest lives in Africa. His wife is millionaire capitalist. You have other multimillionaires within the Top ANC brass (Tokyo Sexwale-mining tycoon, Cyril Ramaphosa and Mathews Phosa). Jacob has also been funded by a lot of businessman for his trial and he even got about R400 000 ($40 000) for a wedding ceromony.

Now all of these people within the ANC leadership are power hungry polticians who believe that now Thabo Mbeki is gone it is their turn to rape the state resources of South Africa.

I tell the left in this country does not give a damn about the people.

Cool we have a rightist on the boards. I know you are upset that your white government was overthrown by blacks, but we have a rule for no fascists here. And we are happy with the downfall of your corrupt politicians.

[RedScare]

Interesting development. We should follow this closely.

[Decolonize The Left]

Cool we have a rightist on the boards. I know you are upset that your white government was overthrown by blacks, but we have a rule for no fascists here. And we are happy with the downfall of your corrupt politicians.

I didn't read anything in that post to indicate a 'rightwing' ideology.

Furthermore, earlier in this thread you accused Leo, of all people, of "aligning [himself] with the far right."

If this continues it could be considered trolling as you provide absolutely no justification for your asinine and insulting claims. Please refrain from doing so in the future.

- August

EDIT: You gave me negative rep for this post? And with the comment "reread his post."?? How very academic and convincing of you to offer an argument and some form of justification for yourself...:glare: Seriously, conduct yourself with some integrity and respect.

[Mike Rotchtickles]

Cool we have a rightist on the boards. I know you are upset that your white government was overthrown by blacks, but we have a rule for no fascists here. And we are happy with the downfall of your corrupt politicians.

Come on dude. Nothing in my post reflects any bias towards the white government. The end of Apartheid means that I am where I am and will not be deprived the rights that I deserve as much as anybody else. So I could not be upset that white rule is over, I would have been oppressed under white rule. Now I may not be a full blown leftist but please don't accuse of being fascist. I leave in South Africa and I witness the poverty that my people experience everyday. The SACP has hijacked the ANC but we would be fools to believe that things will be better. the SACP is filled with Stalinist types who will impose themselves on the people of South Africa in the most negative way

[Charles Xavier]

Come on dude. Nothing in my post reflects any bias towards the white government. The end of Apartheid means that I am where I am and will not be deprived the rights that I deserve as much as anybody else. So I could not be upset that white rule is over, I would have been oppressed under white rule. Now I may not be a full blown leftist but please don't accuse of being fascist. I leave in South Africa and I witness the poverty that my people experience everyday. The SACP has hijacked the ANC but we would be fools to believe that things will be better. the SACP is filled with Stalinist types who will impose themselves on the people of South Africa in the most negative way


The SACP has represented the people's interests thats why they are popular they don't have the millions and billions that the right-wing that fled the ANC does. Yet they hold massive support, they are shown a consistency to the South African working class that they and the ANC are their representatives. The SACP didn't hijack the ANC, working people accross the country who were members of the ANC had their voices heard at the convention and lead the ANC to a new pro-worker agenda, which is interested in raising the living standards of the majority. If the people of South Africa didn't want the SACP to have more say in policy they would not support them. The right-wing out of desperation is trying to destroy the ANC because they are no longer able to get their Monopolist agenda through its doors. They are performing a media blitz in order to convince people that these Communists don't know anything and will destroy South Africa and eat babies.

You have latched onto their position because you don't like to think for yourself, you can watch tv and formulate the position you see on TV. Which has the obvious interests of the owner class.

So I'm happy that South African democracy is now in the hands of working people. I do not think this is the end of the struggle though. Big business will do whatever is in their power to pervert what the ANC and SACP stand for, and sabotage any progressive reforms that come out of the new ANC.

The poverty which is in South Africa will not be solved by the greedy who own everything, but those in poverty themselves to band together for a new society.

[redSHARP]

joe slovo how we miss you!!:crying:

[Mike Rotchtickles]

The SACP has represented the people's interests thats why they are popular they don't have the millions and billions that the right-wing that fled the ANC does. Yet they hold massive support, they are shown a consistency to the South African working class that they and the ANC are their representatives. The SACP didn't hijack the ANC, working people accross the country who were members of the ANC had their voices heard at the convention and lead the ANC to a new pro-worker agenda, which is interested in raising the living standards of the majority. If the people of South Africa didn't want the SACP to have more say in policy they would not support them. The right-wing out of desperation is trying to destroy the ANC because they are no longer able to get their Monopolist agenda through its doors. They are performing a media blitz in order to convince people that these Communists don't know anything and will destroy South Africa and eat babies.

You have latched onto their position because you don't like to think for yourself, you can watch tv and formulate the position you see on TV. Which has the obvious interests of the owner class.

So I'm happy that South African democracy is now in the hands of working people. I do not think this is the end of the struggle though. Big business will do whatever is in their power to pervert what the ANC and SACP stand for, and sabotage any progressive reforms that come out of the new ANC.

The poverty which is in South Africa will not be solved by the greedy who own everything, but those in poverty themselves to band together for a new society.

The SACP does not really have much support from the general South African population. Most of the people are more familiar with the ANC and COSATU( the 3rd partner in the Alliance). The ANC is filled with a lot of intellectuals who greatly removed from what the people on the ground know or understand. The SACP once considered how it would fair as a party standing on its own for elections. The research conducted showed that they would probably received only 8% of the vote. The SACP is not even that big of a party. It only has about 50 000 members. The new party that broke of from the ANC in September 08 already has about 200 000 members( they claim double that figure but I don’t believe it) in just about 5 months. Why do radical movements always blame these faceless right-wing entities for the images people have of them. They always blame the media. When people go on national television and say they will take up arms and kill for a particular leader how are you supposed to take it. If people accuse anyone who differs in opinion from them as counter-revolutionaries or agents of the west, what am I supposed to say. One thing I am sure of is that if or when these guys get a firm grip on power in South Africa, anybody who dares to criticize them will be dealt with swiftly. They've already done that to people within the ANC what will they do to ordinary members of the public.

[Charles Xavier]

If the SACP and the Trade unions lack support and the Right-wingers have popular support, why did the SACP and the trade unions take control of the ANC with a democratic majority and the right-wingers instead of staying in the party quit?

If this was a misvote, these right-wingers could have inniated a special congress of the ANC to have a revote. But they don't have the support because they are the ones starving the people. They did what they could out of desperation, they quit and are trying their best to sabotage the ANC.

So come to your own conclusions by looking up the facts instead of taking some elses' opinion as your own. I shouldn't know more about South African politics than you because I'm not South African.

[Mike Rotchtickles]

If the SACP and the Trade unions lack support and the Right-wingers have popular support, why did the SACP and the trade unions take control of the ANC with a democratic majority and the right-wingers instead of staying in the party quit?

If this was a misvote, these right-wingers could have inniated a special congress of the ANC to have a revote. But they don't have the support because they are the ones starving the people. They did what they could out of desperation, they quit and are trying their best to sabotage the ANC.

So come to your own conclusions by looking up the facts instead of taking some elses' opinion as your own. I shouldn't know more about South African politics than you because I'm not South African.

I dont know if it was a misvote or not but there were irregularities. the Polokwane vote 60/40. In my opinion one thing that defeated the Mbeki faction was underestimating the support JZ had. JZ also had been mobilising support since 2005. Mbeki's arrogance is what cost him and when he saw this he rushed to mobilise support but it was already to late.

One other thing about the SACP that shows you how hypocritical they are, is that they continued to support Mbeki for the 1999/2004 elections even after he introduced GEAR(1996) a very capitalist programme that has created jobless economic growth in the country. That shows that SACP was a party with no backbone to stand on its own. No doubt they have been able to take over the ANC, but I think this has alot more to do with cunning tactics and the number of powerful individuals who had been wounded by Mbeki(Sexwale, Ramaphosa,Phosa, Zuma, Winnie Mandela etc). the SACP used all the animosity Mbeki accumulated throughout the years and in the end this is what did him in. Just because you differ with my opinion does not mean I dont know anything. I fail to find any facts in what you have said. It is just generalised rhetoric.

[Charles Xavier]

I dont know if it was a misvote or not but there were irregularities. the Polokwane vote 60/40. In my opinion one thing that defeated the Mbeki faction was underestimating the support JZ had. JZ also had been mobilising support since 2005. Mbeki's arrogance is what cost him and when he saw this he rushed to mobilise support but it was already to late.

One other thing about the SACP that shows you how hypocritical they are, is that they continued to support Mbeki for the 1999/2004 elections even after he introduced GEAR(1996) a very capitalist programme that has created jobless economic growth in the country. That shows that SACP was a party with no backbone to stand on its own. No doubt they have been able to take over the ANC, but I think this has alot more to do with cunning tactics and the number of powerful individuals who had been wounded by Mbeki(Sexwale, Ramaphosa,Phosa, Zuma, Winnie Mandela etc). the SACP used all the animosity Mbeki accumulated throughout the years and in the end this is what did him in. Just because you differ with my opinion does not mean I dont know anything. I fail to find any facts in what you have said. It is just generalised rhetoric.


Well if they didn't have their backbone then they have it now.