29 July 2018
Fighting soldiers for Socialism!
Let me for on behalf of the 4th National Congress National Committee convey our special greetings to the leadership of the SACP and the Alliance, the National Committee deployees , Provincial Secretaries from other Provinces, our Provincial Leadership, Districts Leadership and more especially the branch delegates , who are the owners of this organization.
The processes towards this provincial conference have been characterized by testing of our leaders and our member’s loyalty to our organization, the revolution and the cause on the struggle for socialism. This has tested our members whether or not they can subordinate their personal interests absolutely and unconditionally to the interests of the organization whatever the circumstances. We witnessed some tendencies displayed that are not in line with Marxist-Leninist principles. But at the same time we happy that at the end the organizational line as against the individual line has prevailed.
Comrade delegates, allow me first and foremost to convey the 4th National Congress National Committee message to this 4th Provincial Congress of Moses Mabhida Province “Build YCLSA structures for socialism, increase our mass-base and presence”
Comrades, as you build YCLSA structures, increasing our mass-base and presence, it’s important to always understand that the essential and critical structure of the YCLSA is its branch. The programmes and campaigns of the YCLSA will be meaningless without the involvement, leadership, activism, militancy and vigilance of our branches. It is here that ideas are conceptualized and members express the views and opinions, and ultimately shapes and advance the struggle for socialism. For the YCLSA to actively engaged with the major strength is possesses, that of mass and peoples power, we need to strengthen branches.
Branches are also significant in building a significant pool of leadership for the YCLSA. Of importance is the fact that they are at the vein of interacting with youth who are not mobilized. The re-launching congress recognized the basic role branches should play; thus, we should locate our critical layer of leadership at this level. When we say that the YCLSA is the home for Communist Youth, branches should bring this into reality as a major player in regard to being a training ground for young communist for the SACP. Therefore, all our strength and resources should focus on building strong YCLSA Branches.
The YCLSA should strive to establish branches [and units] in townships, rural areas, villages, suburbs, towns, countryside’s, workplaces, campuses, mine compounds and all other places were young people are based. The minimum objective is to establish branches were we currently have SACP Branches, but this should not limit our potential to grow beyond the SACP, thus, indirectly increasing the organizational form of the SACP.
MARXISM-LENINISM IS OUR PHILOSOPHY AND GUIDE AS YCLSA
The most valuable and influential asset that Marx and Lenin left with us is Marxism-Leninism, which illuminated the path of humanity’s exploration of the law of history and humanity’s search for their own liberation. Marxism-Leninism is the theory of the people, aimed at building a system based on ideology to strive for liberation of humanity. Marxism-Leninism is also a practical theory, which guides people’s action to change the world. It is a continuously developing open system as well, which has always stood at the forefront of the times.
Comrades, Marxism-Leninism’s profound exploration of the world may have been based on the existing systems and conditions during Marx’s times, but it goes beyond their times in terms of spirit and philosophy. It is the essence of the spirit of those times as well as all the times, including the present and the future. Therefore Marxism-Leninism is trans-generational universal truth, but it has to be developed so that it can be applied to the reality of modern times.
The Young Communist league of South Africa has followed applied Marxism-Leninism since it’s established and has been developing the philosophy in both theory and practice. So as we deepen youth mobilization for socialism, we are guided both in theory and practice by Marxism-Leninism, as such we continue to inherit the scientific essence of Marxism-Leninism. Based on the scientific understanding of the general rules of human society according to Marxism-Leninism, especially historical materialism, the YCLSA has carried a number of programmes, activities and campaigns as part of the struggle for socialism.
Marxism-Leninism is the people-centric philosophy; it regards people’s happiness as its essential mission, sticks to the fundamental purpose of serving the people, establishes deeper connection with the people and continuously strides forward to help people to achieve common prosperity. It further advances to build a community of shared future for human kind.
Comrades, Marxism-Leninism is about theory and practice, practice is the distinctive feature of it.it is developed by people’s practices. It cannot be delinked to practice. It must always be linked with practice.
Marxism-Leninism cannot grow and be strong in the absence of Marxist-Leninist organization.
It is paramount to always at all material times remind comrades that the strength of the Marxist-Leninist theory is that it gives the organization the ability in any situation to understand the inner connections of the events around it, to see the course events will take, and recognize not only how and in which direction events are going but also how and which direction they must develop in the future.
Ours is a struggle for socialism. Our strategic enemy is capitalism. As we fight capitalism and struggling for socialism we do so with the sole intention to seize power, expropriate the exploiters, establishment our revolutionary dictatorship and create a state of a new type Socialist South Africa (which should show that socialism is a superior or social order).
Comrades, as Marxist-Leninists we must continue to recruit, train and educate ideological young communists that will:
- Have faith on the organizations founding principles.
- Who will value to be a member of the YCLSA
- Prepared for all to sacrifice for the revolution.
- Incorruptible members and leaders.
- Put practice into action guided by our philosophy Marxism-Leninism.
As we recruit, train and educate them ideologically, these young communists should learn that: - Not join organization for positions.
- Serve the people and organization wholeheartedly.
- Be prepared to sacrifice all including death in defense of the people, love for the people and service to the people.
- Fight factionalism, gate-keeping, corruption, love for the money and meme-sm.
The YCLSA says NO to Government’s YES Programme
The newly launched Youth Employment Service or YES programme as a partnership between business and government is expected to have a positive impact on employment opportunities for youth. The YES programme was launched by President Cyril Ramaphosa in March of this year and it is purported that 100 companies have since signed up to temporarily employ young people for a period of a year. The target of the programme is to provide one million young people between the ages of 14 and 35 with job experience thereby increasing their future prospect for more permanent job opportunities. Government has claimed that the YES programme will have a positive impact on youth unemployment in the country and will contribute to lowering the high rate of joblessness amongst the youth. According to Stats SA, the youth unemployment rate in the country currently stands at 38.2%. This is in terms of the narrow definition of unemployment for those between the ages of 15 and 35.
Unfortunately, this was the same narrative sold to the youth of country when the youth – wage subsidy was first introduced. A youth wage subsidy that, “did not have any statistically significant and positive effects on youth employment probabilities since its initiation on the 1st day of January of 2014.” This was according to a study by the Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit at the University of Cape Town. Government was extremely confident of the youth wage subsidy or employment tax incentive (ETI) as it was then coined for political and other reasons. Yet despite such over confidence in the ETI and lack of confidence in the programmes of the NYDA, the ETI has not delivered the desired results that the National Treasury had hoped for. Instead R5 billion has not generated the value for money that could have been generated had it been invested into a multi – pronged strategy of grants and business development vouchers for youth – owned enterprises, youth service, scholarships, mentorship, skills development as well as job preparedness and placement programmes.
Government continues to devise interventions that seek to address the symptoms of youth unemployment and not the causes. The causes of youth unemployment in South Africa are historically structural and systemic. A youth employment service that offers unemployed young people one – year work experience and then spits them back into the cycle of unemployment will not make any meaningful impact on the high rates of youth unemployment in the country. A silver bullet approach to youth unemployment will simply not have any impact at all.
According to the YES CEO, Tashmia Ismail – Saville, “One year of work experience, coupled with a curriculum vitae and reference letter, increases a young person’s chances of finding employment by three times.” There may be some degree of truth to this assertion, but it is far cry away from making any dent on the real picture of youth unemployment. At the very most it may only scratch the bleak picture of youth unemployment in South Africa.
As the YCLSA we are tired of the periodic silver bullet responses to youth unemployment provided by Government. We want long term sustainable solutions that seek to radically alter and fundamentally transform the current structurally deformed labour market that is incapable of absorbing young South Africans into permanent forms of employment.
The dominant view held by the vast majority of the private sector is that youth are nothing more than a market to be influenced and exploited. The private sector views youth as consumers and nothing more. This deficit or problem perspective of youth is dominant in South African society and particularly amongst the private sector. There is a need for the private sector and society in general to change this perspective to one that views youth as assets and equal partners in their own development. It is only when this shift in paradigm occurs will any meaningful progress be made towards changing the landscape of youth unemployment.
Youth unemployment is also not a one-dimensional challenge. It is a multi-dimensional challenge that cannot simply be addressed with a single isolated intervention such as a youth employment service. The quality of education is important in employability and simply incentivizing the private sector to create more opportunities without ensuring that young people are educated, skilled, healthy and adequately prepared for the workplace environment can only lead to failure. South Africa’s poor education performance against high investment in education and training seems to exacerbate the inability of the labour force to absorb large numbers of youth. The quality of the education system has a direct link to the unacceptably high levels of youth unemployment in the country. Studies show that the quality and level of education are directly proportional to employability. Young people with only primary education or with only some secondary education are the most affected by unemployment. Approximately 38.3% of young people with Matric as their highest qualification are unemployed whereas 54.8% of young people with an education level less than Matric are unemployed.
Youth unemployment remains the biggest challenge and the most important issue for young people in South Africa. To advance a second, more radical phase of the NDR requires a more dedicated focus on job creation for the youth and affirming youth employment creation as an apex priority of society, not just of government. It is therefore imperative that a more pragmatic and comprehensive youth employment action plan is developed and implemented during the second, more radical phase of the NDR. This youth employment action plan must clearly define how the country will create in excess of 3 million sustainable jobs for youth as part of the national development plan.
Ultimately youth unemployment is a consequence of Capitalism. The goal of full and productive employment and decent work for all youth will only be realized with the fall of Capitalism.
WHAT ARE OUR IMMEDIATE THREATS AND WHAT ARE OUR IMMEDIATE TASKS
Comrades, in every action, there is a reaction, even in any revolution, there is a counter-revolution this is the law of development. It is therefore important to note and understand comrade’s delegates those at all material times to remain vigilant and it is the duty of the leadership to characterize threats that seek to delay the revolution.
Comrades, he who does not see deliberately close his eyes cannot fail to see that the tendency is on the offensive to liquidate the Young Communist League of South Africa.
Comrades, the overwhelming majority of the YCLSA membership and its leadership at all levels , have for some sometime been aware of the activities of some leaders of the faction , organized by some Vaal , Mangosuthu , Mafikeng hangovers , on their planned arrogant , clandestine and futile attempts to discredit the YCLSA as an organization and its leadership. Some even brag about proximity, support and protection by some Party leaders.
Efforts has been made to unify the organization and whip them on the line through political engagements with the intention to raise their consciousness including persuading some of the ring leaders to desist from their acts of subverting and dividing the organization. But our tolerance and constructive approach is mistaken as a weakness on our side. They continue to attempt to discredit us with fail. Our matured silence in the public gave them or mistakenly allows them to be too loud on social networks.
Our analysis and the characterization of this tendency are of liquidationists. These comrades are nothing else liquidationists. Liquidation and anarchism are the two sides of the same coin. When things comes for push liquidationists uses anarchy.
A comrade, this tendency is traced way back before and after the re-establishment of the YCLSA. These liquidationists have always been anti-YCLSA and anti-YCLSA Leadership. The remnants of this tendency continue to be anti-YCLSA and part of it never welcomed the leadership elected during the relaunch congress. It has always been critical to YCLSA and its leadership in a un Marxist-Leninist behavior, some were even against the re-launch But when the SACP 11th National Congress took a decision they obliged and respected the decision. But change the strategy that they must capture the YCLSA. To them YCLSA is not YCLSA as long they are not in leadership positions of the YCLSA or their preferred leaders are not in leadership positions of the YCLSA. In every congress of the YCLSA, they always attempted to encourage their candidates to avail themselves even if they do not enjoy popular support from our rank and file membership. They always have preference. Their attitude remains that of being highly critical to YCLSA in a destructive way. This tendency at times can confuse you, if the leadership is friendly to it; they partial welcome it with the intention to use it so that they position themselves or its cabal. Even tis provincial Congress is not immune from such tendencies. Be vigilant comrades and close ranks against this tendency.
What are the key characters of these liquidations and how they assume anarchists tendencies:
- Always criticizing and undermining organizational and leadership efforts to unite, build and grow the organization.
- Criticize every organizational process and cast aspersions on leadership and structural decisions.
- Always identify itself with previous bitter generations.
- Uses social networks to attack , advance their position that they lost in structural meetings
- In the structural meetings it never rise an ideological debate , only infantile arguments but when decision taken it always find way to personalize such decisions selectively.
- Its rise is not traceable in our structures, it is more of those who came with time -table when then join our organization.
- It’s always implementing strategy of lies and always complainants of note when their strategy back fire.
- It uses regionalism, tribalism and friendship. It closes eyes on wrong things done by their homeboy, tribesman and friend.
- Its anti-majoritarian, its applies Menshevik stance on political matters.
Comrade delegates, we just highlight the few characters so that our membership and our leaders including Party leaders don’t get confused by these liquidationists.Both in essence and appearance this tendency is too weak. History shows that young anarchists are good at misleading the congress movement leadership and at times leadership fall on their tactic, take strategic decision and make strategic interventions as per the anarchists briefing. This tendency also applies an undialetic tactic, blame others for your own sin.
These liquidationists don’t question themselves or their actions, regardless of how clear a situation is and they always find other comrades to blame and in whatever they are doing they are always right.
Comrades, anarchists or liquidationists don’t understand organization and even overlook organizational discipline. All what they are good at is tribalistic, friendship, rationalistic and lie.
Therefore, our immediate task is to unify the organization, isolate the tendency and build the YCLSA.
The Relationship between the YCLSA and the SACP! Independence and Autonomy!
The YCLSA was formed as a result of a resolution of the SACP in a National Congress. This subject the YCLSA to the political vision and ideological articulation of the SACP. Members of the YCLSA above 18 are members of the SACP and are bound by the decisions of the SACP, but also, the YCLSA itself has a task of ensuring that the SACP, in its articulate policies and principles, represent the needs and interest of youth. The YCLSA is not, therefore, a political organization, but serves and advance the interest of the SACP.
The YCLSA has a daunting task of ensuring that it contributes to the building of the SACP by an intensified mass mobilization of youth and focused political education. However, the YCLSA, in its founding constitution and policies, proclaim itself as an independent and autonomous organization. What does this mean? The YCLSA is independent as it relates to the political administration and execution of its duties. It has its own leadership and organizational authority. And the YCLSA should use this in order to ensure that it influences the outlook and character of the SACP. The YCLSA is no equal to the SACP. Period!
There is a growing tendency that some comrades or leaders in the YCLSA, when they lose debates in the yclsa they use their positions and proximity to the party leadership and mislead the party so as to save their personal ambition.
This is the tendency that as the yclsa we must expose and this is also need vigilance from the party not to quickly welcome what is said without critical analyzing it. When the are problems in the YCLSA, we don’t expect the Party not to intervene and work with YCLSA to solve the matter. The Party in that process should not be seen taking side but it should be seen as unifying us.
CONCLUSION
Allow me to conclude, comrades delegates by quoting the Vietnamese revolutionary, Le Duan that “The revolution needs a contingent of cadres who are equal to their political tasks, with regard to their number and quality as well as to their composition, a contingent of cadres capable of fulfilling to the highest degree the requirements of the political tasks in each period… He not only talked about the capacity and capability of the cadres but also emphasised the importance of the sufficiency in numbers of the cadres to be able to influence the determination of the political outlook and direction of the organisation”
I have been briefed that the congress has unanimously elected the leadership. We don’t doubt even by an inch that the newly elected leadership will fail to fulfil the revolutionary duty that has been bestowed by the membership on the basis of trust.
We wish nothing but the best the newly elected leadership and we say Aluta Continua!. We further applaud the delegates for the communist conduct that has been displayed both in theory and in practice in this 4th Provincial Congress. We congratulate you for such conduct that has been displayed wish is in line with Marxist-Leninist principles.
As you will be going home late today when the congress has concluded its business we say go back and report to our branches and tell them that: YCLSA is alive, YCLSA leads, YCLSA sharpen contradictions and YCLSA gives direction.
Unite Moses Mabhida Province Unite
Long Live YCLSA, Long Live!
Long Live SACP, Long Live!
Khula YCLSA Khula!
