South Africa May Day here ♦ What it Means to Be a Communist here ♦
Results of the ICWP May Day Celebration in South Africa
GQEBERHA (South Africa), May 1—We successfully celebrated May Day in a community hall. On a busy day, comrades took time to come learn about communism.
“We are gathered to celebrate Workers’ Day,” a comrade began. “This day is important. It is celebrated by workers everywhere. It marks the workers’ struggle against capitalist exploitation and brutality.
“It honours the heroic struggle of US workers against capitalists that resulted in the 8-hour working day.
“Our struggle continues,” the comrade went on. “Working eight hours a day in a capitalist system is not liberation. It doesn’t stop the misery that workers face. And it doesn’t stop the exploitation they are subjected to every day and every hour.
“Our task is to continue the struggle but not to reform capitalism or make it ‘humane.’ It is not reformable. We can only change the system by destroying it and ushering in a new society, a communist society. We can only do that through a revolutionary change led by a revolutionary party, ICWP. The question is: how do we do that?”
Need ICWP to Confront Capitalism’s Unemployment and Alienation
A long-time party comrade who had not participated for a few years spoke up. “I have had my own personal struggles,” she said. “I developed an addiction, but I got myself clean and I remembered home.
“I take personal responsibility for some things. However, even addiction and gender-based violence are results of the system. We are told that ‘education is the key to success.’ But we went to school for years and have nothing to show for it. This drives people to depression. They are unemployed, not knowing what to feed their children. This gives them anxiety, which they attempt to escape through alcohol and other substances.
“Unfortunately,” she continued, “I tried to escape through alcohol. But I dusted myself off and took the decision to get clean and fight back. And I remembered that I can only do that by going back to the party (ICWP). I’m not afraid to die. I have been questioned before. They were saying I’m a terrorist, I want to topple the government.
“We must fight the system head on,” she concluded, “and be united wherever we are, whether we are working or not.”
Need Unity to Fight to End Capitalist Wage Slavery
“Indeed, we must be united,” responded a new comrade. “I work as an operator for a German engineering company. A factory next to ours burnt down, affecting the one we worked in. Our clothes, cell phones, and other belongings were burnt; we were left with just our working clothes. The company claimed with insurance for their machines although they were minimally damaged. They didn’t do anything for us. When we wanted compensation for our belongings, they called us troublemakers.
“There was fire residue and chemicals all around,” he continued, “but we were made to work in those conditions. We complained that these conditions make us sick and called health inspectors. Even they worked for these bosses. The company was not punished. They just painted the building.
“They prevented us from forming a union. They threatened to fire those who were vocal. People were afraid to speak out, and even the CCMA [arbitration commission] did not help workers. The labour court is too expensive for an individual worker. So, I agree that these people will divide us to prevent us from winning,” he concluded.
How ICWP Differs from Other Parties
“What differentiates ICWP from other parties”? a comrade asked. “And how can we win and change people’s lives?
“People have two fundamental questions,” another comrade replied. “‘What can you help me with since I don’t have a job’? And ‘How can you help me with these terrible work conditions?”
“Unlike the ANC, we will not lie to people that ‘we will create two million jobs, therefore, vote for me.’ ICWP isn’t a union. Better working conditions are not our ultimate or primary goal. We don’t operate within the system. Our goal is to destroy the capitalist system that creates unbearable working conditions and unemployment. And to usher in a new society.”
This change starts with winning the ideological struggle. These capitalists have waged a war of indoctrination against the workers. We must have working-class consciousness. We start by reading the Red Flag, distributing it, contributing to it, and spreading it to all our colleagues. We recruit them, including family and friends.
Today that began. It will continue in meetings and Red Flag distributions. In that way we will win thousands of workers. When we are united in one revolutionary party, nothing can stop us from destroying capitalists and their system.
What Does It Mean to Be a Communist?
“I am a communist and I fight for Communism,” because human labor is the pillar of human society and the basis for its development. Seen from this point of view, I fight for future generations to live in a free society under workers’ power. And I know that only communism will liberate the masses organized worldwide into a single party, the International Communist Workers’ Party that we are building today. That is the solution for that new world.
Being a communist is hard and very rewarding political work, of struggle, of constantly building with discipline a collective working-class base among workers, family, friends, and neighbors. It means struggling sharply to recruit more comrades to fight directly for communism.
It means strengthening communist relations with many people, whether they are youth, industrial workers, farmworkers, neighbors, or soldiers. Learning how to sharpen and resolve the internal contradictions that prevent us and others from advancing further. Being active and improving the consciousness of our oppressed class. To be committed to building communist bases. To learn from others, including people who are not yet communists.
To be a communist is to be organized, to be an example of building collective solidarity, to be active and disciplined, being capable of accepting and giving criticism and self-criticism to overcome the contradictions of capitalism. To be militant and, with planning, to build the workers’ struggle for our communist society.
What Must We Do as Communists to Develop New ICWP members?
Be consistent and patient in the political struggle, making and getting to know contacts, distributing our Red Flag newspaper, handing out leaflets, writing articles, being present and active in the struggle. We should analyze how to reach and organize the masses for the growth of more communist collectives worldwide.
Help comrades resolve dialectical contradictions that hold us or our friends back, so that we can recruit and consolidate more comrades. So that we raise awareness of our communist ideology and how to be a communist. Work that must be put into practice as a member of our Party.
To be a Communist means commitment, and solidarity, every day. Being militant is to be in a fighting stance for the Communist Revolution.
A communist world is ICWP’s main goal. Today is the ideal time for our struggle. We the masses of oppressed people have built and can build the Party and be victorious. The masses have always made history. We will do so.
That is why we need to broaden our forces and mobilize the masses worldwide. Communist Revolution Needs You! Join ICWP today! Long Live Communism!
—Comrade in El Salvador
Read our Manifesto: “Mobilize the Masses for Communism” here.