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Building ICWP Internationally:

South Africa: Winning ANC Activists to Fight for Communism

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Today I met a guy who has been active in the African National Congress (ANC) since 1983. He said that he heard that I was very educated but that I wasn’t working. He wanted to know why. I told him that it had to do with communism versus capitalism. It was true that I had graduated from the university. But I found out that in the university they teach you how to exploit the working class to maximize the rulers’ profits. When I realized that, I didn’t want to do it. I told him that I joined ICWP to fight to destroy capitalism with communist revolution.
He too has many certificates, in fire fighting, and other skills, and yet he does not have a job. He lives with his wife and baby. He and his wife are both active ANC members. I asked him, “Why are you suffering?”
I said, “This is capitalism. It keeps us on the ground. It doesn’t want you to progress. It won’t take you anywhere.”
His wife was listening intently. She asked about ICWP. She said she heard that it was from overseas. I explained that it was originally from overseas but that now it is in South Africa. I told her, “This is the Party that will destroy all exploitation of workers.”
I explained why the bosses pay us the minimum wage, only paying us enough to barely survive. We can live without money. By mobilizing the masses for communism, we can overthrow the system. I told them that I want them to know everything that I know about communism. That’s how we mobilize the masses for communism.
We are a communist party. We want to destroy the government and win the masses, the ones who work hard, to be the ones who govern ourselves. In our party, we don’t vote, we discuss and mobilize as many people as possible for communism and encourage them to be part of the Party.
When I explained about mobilizing the masses for communism to the lady, she couldn’t believe it. She was fascinated with the idea that we need to abolish money, the root of the problem. When they asked how we can live without money, I explained about use value and exchange value. We produce everything, not the bosses. Our system is collective. In communism, we will produce things people need—for the whole world. People who do the work know how to do it, like bricklayers, farm workers. So they will do that, but not for money, but to give everyone what they need.
She started to see that there is no need for money. The wife was excited. She wanted to join ICWP immediately.
I explained about Russia and China and why we are different and that we are building one party internationally, not nationally.
I told them afterward, outside, “I forgot to mention Red Flag.” I told them that it is written by the working class. I encouraged them to write up their experiences and to give it to me, to send to Red Flag. Articles come from workers from all over the world.
Articles from everywhere show workers exploited by the bosses. Capitalism is not a national system; it is a global system exploiting workers all over the world. The man was so excited that he could write a story and that it would appear in the paper. Later he came to my house for Red Flag and our manifesto Mobilize the Masses for Communism.  This couple can be very helpful to ICWP because they have been active for many years and it was amazing how quickly they understood about communism.
—A South African Comrade

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