Young Lions Take Leadership
I am a leader of the youth collective here in South Africa. I just want to commend the maturity the young lions have shown in the two years since we started this collective. It’s as if it’s been many years.
The comrades can lead a meeting even if I’m not present. Last week I was not present; I was called to work at the last moment and we had planned a general meeting of our collective. But the comrades managed to lead the meeting. This maturity shows even in our organizing and the lack of competition and jealousy between us. Because we have the same line, we want the same thing: the eradication of capitalism. We want to advance the line of the party, not our own interest.
In the last two years we have expanded the club to about ten young comrades. We meet every Sunday. Comrades have different personalities but when it comes to our political work, they show initiative and aggressively carry out work with dedication. This has created a new relationship among each other of trust and being able to help each other.
I believe this is a communist relationship and it will deepen as we do more work and mobilize the masses for communism. This kind of communist relationship and collective work when grasped and practiced by millions, will create a communist society that will relentlessly struggle until individualism, racism, and xenophobia are rooted out forever.
–a Comrade
Building Communist Collectivity
The house of a leading comrade of the youth collective was vandalized and burnt down by anti-social elements. A few days later, a cell phone and a computer were stolen, another cell phone robbed.
A comrade who lives in the neighborhood opened his house for the comrade. This house has now become a lively center of all our activities. It is always open to all where political struggle and comradery deepens. Serious political discussion is always followed by struggle to overcome weaknesses. Eagerness to support each other with criticism and self-criticism creates openness and confidence in the collective.
Each comrade has a different personality but as a collective plans are made, implemented and checked with precision. Comrades are so serious about the task that if they miss a meeting due to work, the first thing they want to know afterwards is the report of the collective. The comrades have learned to expect more from each other by example. This work, as exciting as it is, is not without huge obstacles and struggle to overcome them.
One of the most energetic comrades never stops until the last of the Red Flags is distributed. He was deeply religious. Another comrade grew up in a family of staunch ANC support. Yet another comrade was influenced by fiercely nationalist pan African movement. They are all dedicated members of ICWP. This consistent work is creating immense potential for our party to grow. Two of the comrades are going to relocate to the two largest industrial cities of South Africa.
Our May Day event and the communist school is a way to dramatically advance our work. In preparation for the communist school we are asking each comrade to prepare a report of their work, look at their strength and weakness of their work and their collective. This will deepen our resolve to build a mass party to create communist world.
–Comrade in South Africa
Mobilizing the Masses for a Communist May Day in South Africa
One of our collective’s newest members said, “I never knew I could be so passionate about something. Thank you, ICWP, for giving me hope and a dream for a better world. We as youngsters of this community had given up but now we will work hard to live in a communist society. Every day we will work hard to mobilize the masses for communism.”
On Monday, April 10, our collective went on a street-to-street, door-to-door mobilization. We met a shop owner from Somalia who said, “I am very happy to meet you guys. I am looking forward to the day communism will take over because I know on that day xenophobia will be over. We foreign nationals live in fear of our lives day in and day out. Forward, Communists!”
Then we went into a house where two older ladies live. They said, “Who are you? We are not interested in any political party.”
As soon as we explained, we got their attention. I was surprised. They know so much about communism but did not know where to find communists. Now that they know, they said, “Where do we sign to become members?”
When we explained to them that we don’t have membership cards, they complimented us and said that we are true communists.
–A Comrade in South Africa
