April 2011 - Centre for Civil Society - University of KwaZulu-Natal

society on the basis of the needs of the majority as opposed to today
where the wealth is either channelled out of the country or remains in the
pockets of a tiny minority.
This is as applicable in Venezuela, as in South Africa today. Capitalism is in
a dead end and only a socialist revolution can solve the main problems
facing the masses. Therefore a truly Marxist position on the call for
nationalization of the mines would be to firstly give the call full support
and set up a campaign to mobilize around it, but at the same time to
connect the demand to the need for socialism by patiently explaining the
limits of isolated nationalisations to the workers and youth. We must
explain that the only sustainable solution is to take over the commanding
heights of the economy, place all nationalized companies under workers’
control and finally organize the economy under a centralised democratic
plan.
The question of the state
For Marxists the question of the state is a very important one. In South
Africa this question is becoming a focal point for many, as the workers are
increasingly meeting firm resistance from the state’s repressive forces
when they engage in struggles for decent living conditions.
In a speech at the 7th national congress of SADTU, Blade Nzimande said
the following about the subject:
“What is the state in terms of our own scripts? A state is an instrument of
the oppression of one class by the other. In a capitalist system generally
the character of the state is an instrument of the capitalist class to
oppress the working class so that it is super exploitive. Under socialism,
the state becomes an instrument of the working class initially to oppress
the attempts by a defeated bourgeoisie to come back.
“But, an interesting discussion that we need to be having - because the
congress is also a political school – is about the character of the South
African state today? We live in a capitalist society. Of course, our scripts
do say that states are never fixed things. They are sites of struggle and
they are contested. Our own state is a site of intense class struggle. Let
me give you an example which is small but important. The DA is trying to
use the fact that it is in parliament to try and pass a law that if there is
violence or damage during a strike a trade union must be charged and be
asked to pay. Of course we don't want destruction. Our strikes and
marches and demonstrations are overwhelmingly peaceful. Why is the DA
saying that? That is a sure route to destroy the trade union movement in
this country because it would be easy, for example if SADTU is on strike,
for elements to be planted in the vicinity to cause destruction. Then SADT
U would be sued and eventually bankrupted due to this.
“We want to say to the DA, forget about what you are trying to do you are
not going to get this legislation. The African National Congress is the
majority party. Don't try to please your masters at the expense of the
progressive trade union movement in this country. Sozebayithole! (you
will never get it) That's part of the class struggle. It's part of class
contestation of the state, therefore when we say build working class
power in the state, amongst other things, it means build strong public
sector unions.”
He summarized these same views very clearly in the address to the YCL
congress in Mafikeng when he said: “we must build working-class
hegemony within the state. If the working class leaves the state, other
classes will take over”