South Africa: Letters to Red Flag

Learning about mobilizing for communism here ♦ Communist struggle “a breath of fresh air” here ♦ South African comrades inspire us all here ♦

Learning About Mobilizing for Communism

My name is Esihle Bongani, and I am also known as Mark. I am happy to say I have joined ICWP. On 15 May 2022, we had a meeting at comrade Themba’s place at New Bright. I was introduced to the members who were present in the meeting. Nomlanga explained to me and also to other new members what is ICWP. I won’t lie. At first, I was a bit confused but throughout as he spoke, he explained.

What I have learned is that communism is not a one-day thing that you can learn overnight. It needs time and studying through dialectical materialism, Mobilize the Masses for Communism, Red Flag, etc.

I have really got to say that I was lucky to be invited to experience mobilising. Through that I have seen and learned the meaning of mobilising. What I have learned is that mobilizing is giving the people the ideas and the information about what is going in our world.

—New comrade in Port Elizabeth, South Africa

Communist Struggle:  A Breath of Fresh Air

Greetings, comrades. I received the two Red Flag articles about the work in South Africa and they are indeed inspiring and encouraging.  And they are a breath of fresh air after being bombarded with the toxic news in the media all over.  But this is really a breath of fresh air.  Continue the good work, comrades.

It is a pity that I am limited in terms of writing, but it is worth noting that all over the world ICWP is alive. And in no time masses will be led by the ICWP for communism. Many are currently involved in fights all over that have nothing to do with our interest, the interest of the working class.   Workers are involved in fights that are reformist and take us nowhere, they are recycling poverty and our miseries.

But these two articles give us the reason to live, the reason to look forward to.

Viva ICWP Viva!

Amandla!

—Metalworker in South Africa

Work of South Africa Comrades Inspires Us All

“If you do your work every day, just like I drive my taxi every day, people will listen to you,” the driver of a van full of industrial workers said to our comrades. “The bosses are lying; you are telling the workers the truth.”

This started the front-page article in the previous issue of our paper. It reported on a mobilization of two dozen young, mostly unemployed comrades distributing two thousand Red Flags to industrial workers in Gquberha (Port Elizabeth, South Africa).  Workers gave comrades their contact information. Comrades planned follow-up, participated in political struggle, and made an important advance in building ICWP in this industrial center.

We thank our comrades in South Africa for this inspiring work. We know that you, like many others, face very difficult material conditions that includes mass unemployment, gang violence and anti-working-class crime, government repression, and a daily struggle for basics like food, water, and transportation.

Some workers and youth respond to such conditions by adopting capitalism’s cynical individualism of “looking out for number one.”  Young Party comrades in South Africa are showing the communist alternative of fighting for collective survival by taking Party organizing very seriously.

Their commitment to consistent, principled struggle is an example to all Party collectives and Red Flag readers. We must build stronger international ties to support and learn from this work and advance the struggle for a communist world. Where possible, we must raise more money from more friends to support this work.

—Comrades in Los Angeles (USA)

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