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

• A living wage! Raise the minimum wage to 10.000 rands a month.
• Price controls on basic goods! Introduction of strict price controls for all
goods such as basic foodstuffs, water and electricity. At the same time a
law must be introduced banning the cutting off of electricity and water.
• Affordable housing for all! All large private property rental companies
and all empty housing held for speculative purposes should be nationalized
and turned into affordable and decent housing for the people. The
construction industry must be nationalized and its resources used to solve
the housing question within 5 years. Finally rent should not to exceed 20%
of tenants' income.
• Down with racism and sexism! Full equality in legal and in all economical
spheres, regardless of sex, religion, sexual preference or skin colour. No to
colour based unions.
• Down with corruption and careerism! No officials are to receive higher
wages than an average workers' wage. Abolish all perks connected to
public offices.
• Workers' leaders on workers’ wages! No comrade occupying party or
other political positions are allowed to receive more than an average wage
of a skilled worker. Money or perks received above this level is to be
handed over to the party.
• For a democratic workers' movement! No to cronyism and fraud in party
and union caucuses, congresses, conferences, etc. For fully democratic
and honest political discussions as the only way to strengthen our
organizations.
• Once a communist always a communist! All communists occupying any
political positions must put forward the policies of the Communist Party or
else resign from their positions.
For an all-African union of socialist states! The revolution must be spread
to all of Africa where our brothers and sisters, like ourselves, suffer
severely under the weight of senile capitalism.
If such a programme were put forward by the left wing, it would receive a
huge echo. As a consequence we would also see many people changing
camps. On the one side the great majority of the honest YCL and SACP
ranks who support the flawed reformists such as Nzimande would see
clearly the difference between his and a truly revolutionary programme,
and on the other side the many careerists who presently take refuge within
the left wing because they have been ousted from the right-wing
bureaucracy will be forced to either defend a revolutionary programme or
move elsewhere.
If the left wing were to succeed in transforming itself from a loose
grouping into a real Bolshevik opposition with a clear programme, the road
would be open to winning the ranks of the SACP and YCL who yearn for
consistent socialist policies. Once the Communist Party is armed with
genuine communist policies it would quickly gather the support of the
Cosatu membership, ANCYL and the overwhelming majority of the ANC
itself to put its programme into effect.
The future is ours!
All forces in South African society are lining up for a showdown between
the working class and the capitalists. The workers are willing to struggle,