Communist Workers Group (CWG-USA)

Discussion of Statement of Purpose for the South Africa Mineworkers Solidarity Committee

There are several viewpoints representing various tendencies in the SF/BayArea workers movement who are contending in a discussion over the what the statement of purpose for the South African Miners Solidarity Committee should contain.  We think it should say what is and unambiguously and in a thoroughgoing fashion take the side of the Southern African Working Class and encourage every development political and organizational that advance their self interest.

Proposed statement of purpose South Africa Mineworkers Solidarity for discussion at the meeting of the committee 11/13/12

1) The objective of this committee is to mobilize internationalist solidarity action amongst labor and its allies, for the struggle of the South African miners currently spreading across broad sectors of the Southern African working classes.

2) We condemn the massacre of the Marikana mineworkers, by the South African police, acting as the agents of the native and imperialist mine owners. We strongly condem the role of the collaborators in the leadership(s) of the ANC, the SACP, COSATU and the NUM who assisted, set the stage for and are helping the white-wash commission’s cover up of the massacre while organizing goon squad retribution.

3) We support the wage and conditions of work demands (as advanced by the workers themselves,) we support the right to strike, the right to organize independent unions, as well as the demand for lifetime compensation of the massacre victims families.

4) We support their efforts building fighting workers organizations (unions, strike & job-site committees, class-wide networks & mass assemblies) uniting broad sectors of the working class in finding methods to advance their classes interests. We unconditionally support the right of the workers to defend themselves against the bosses, the scabs and the state repression by any means necessary.

5) We argue imperialism and its stooges need not control the wealth of South Africa, We recall the most progressive goal of the Freedom Charter (abandoned by the tripartite regime in 1994) was the nationalization of the mines. Which if carried out under workers control and without indemnification would open the road to economic justice in South Africa. We recognize such gains cannot be conquered except by a workers party and workers council Government. The SACP is not that party, and the popular front is not the workers government! Our committee support all steps that bring the workers closer to forming their own independent party and their own government.