17) MALEMA HEARING CONTINUES IN SOUTH AFRICA

PV Vancouver Bureau

     Disciplinary hearings conducted by the African National Congress against a controversial ANC Youth League leader resumed nearly two weeks after violent protests by supporters of Julius Malema.

     Malema is accused of violating ANC policies by calling for South African intervention to overthrown the government of neighbouring Botswana. While the ANCYL leader is seen by some as a militant advocate for nationalization of South Africa's mining sector, he is also a wealthy man who is closely connected to the country's business community.

     The August 30 protests outside Luthuli House, the ANC's Johannesburg headquarters, included the burning of the ANC flag, T-shirts bearing President Jacob Zuma's face, and posters of South African Communist Party leader Blade Nzimande. Demonstrators hurled bricks at police and journalists, and smashed nearby shop windows. Police fired back with rubber bullets, water cannons and tear gas.

     In a statement on these events, the South African Communist Party noted that it has tried to avoid comment on internal ANC processes. But the party was compelled to respond, considering the "well orchestrated desperate campaign in the media to link the SACP leaders" to the disciplinary processes against Malema and other ANCYL executive members.

     "This lie is extremely unfortunate and indicative of apartheid era operatives tactics that sought to always portray the ANC leadership as being controlled by the communists," said the SACP. "This is the work of those who have caved in politically and are prepared to perfidy the SACP and its leadership at all cost."

     The burning of Nzimande posters, the statement said, "feeds into this anti‑communist agenda. This is an extreme form of provocation that can only be spearheaded by reactionary and counter‑revolutionary forces who have no space in our movement."

     To those who seek to splinter South Africa's governing alliance, the SACP replied, "The ANC-led alliance remains committed to the fight against poverty, inequality, unemployment, exploitation and corruption. For these the SACP will participate and mobilise our people in a principled fashion. Communists have remained principled in the unity of the alliance and the progressive forces including for progressive internationalism."

     The statement also criticised supporters of Malema who use the Polokwane struggle to justify their conduct, referring to a pivotal 2007 conference which elected Zuma and shifted the ANC's strategy to the left: "The run up to Polokwane was characterised by a principled fight and mobilisation against the abuse of state institutions to settle political scores."

     The SACP urged "calm and total respect of the ANC process," and warned that "We should not confuse militancy for anarchy or disorder for democracy. We hope the ANC will act decisively to quell this and restore the authority of the organisation as opposed to individual and personality cult."

     The South African Young Communist League has taken a similar position, rejecting attempts to impose policies through violence. In an August 17 statement, the YCL condemned any "media trial" as a violation of Malema's legal rights. But the same statement urged full investigation of a detailed list of corruption allegations facing the Youth League leader, warning against "those who speak popular language to hoodwink the masses of our people for the benefit of the few."

(The above article is from the September 16-31, 2011, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L 3J1.)