Masses Need Political Strikes Worldwide for Communist Revolution
Marikana, 2012
RUSTENBURG, SOUTH AFRICA, April 18 — Almost six years ago, the miners of Marikana put tools down and demanded a wage increase. The union which claimed to protect them was the first one to order them back to work. The workers refused. It was the current billionaire president of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, with extensive connection to mining capitalists, who ordered the police to shoot the miners, killing over thirty.
Four comrades, including myself, took a journey to the mining region where it all happened to mobilise the masses and recruit them to join ICWP.
We had a discussion with some of the taxi drivers and we explained our line as a party to fight for communism to end horrors of capitalism. We explained that we do not contest in elections because Capitalism will not be defeated by voting. Voting means choosing which boss to exploit you.
We met with comrade Robert, who has been in communication with us for the last year. He raised the question of the unions and their role in workers’ day to day struggles. We explained that unions protect the bosses from the working class. Their role is to make sure that the workers do not turn against the bosses.
We gave him an example of the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) which was opportunistic during the Marikana massacre. The Union acted as if they were on the side of the workers and as a result the workers which belonged to the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) joined the AMCU.
When over 100,000 miners defied the bosses, unions and police, and armed themselves, it was the time to call and expand political strikes around the world for communist revolution. The unions will never do it. It is our job to win the masses to do it.
Robert promised to carefully read all our literature. He was also very helpful in providing information about different mines and how to approach the miners.
Immigrant Workers Discuss Communism
The next day we distributed Red Flag to miners. We encountered a group of miners who were not paid for over a month. There was a miner from South Africa and others from Zimbabwe. The bosses were taking advantage of the immigrants without documents.
We had a long discussion with one of the workers. He told us that he’s not allowed to enter the mine premises. They call him a “trouble maker” for demanding his wages. The rest who were undocumented were afraid to demand their wages as the mine bosses threaten to report them to the police. This raises the need to demolish borders.
One of the bosses’ puppets took a picture of us, obviously to show his bosses and maybe be rewarded.
The “trouble maker” said he would read Red Flag and mobilize the masses for communism. He said he would be thrown out of his room that he was renting because he was not paid.
In the face of very dire conditions, this miner was not afraid of the bosses. He was defiant and full of hope in a communist alternative. He had recorded proof that the bosses had physically threatened him but he knew that it was no good because the police always side with the bosses.
We need many more comrades like him on our side to join and be active organizers. His resilience and defiant attitude gives us the strength to continue to mobilize the masses for communism.
We are going to keep in contact with him and many others we met. This experience has changed all of us.
Marikana, April 2018