THE ROLE OF YOUNG COMMUNIST LEAGUE OF SOUTH AFRICA IN OUR SOCIETY.

MLONDOLOZI MKHIZE

The role of the YCL
The Young Communist League (YCL) is a youth wing of the South Africa Communist Party (SACP) a very important part of its continual existence. It is essential that the role of the YCL in the SACP is not undermined but rather enhanced as they are the future of the Party. One would have loved to see the YCL to do what is perceived as groundwork, which is to conscioustising mass. One ought to remember that the Marxism-Leninism is literature that was not meant to be treated as dogma but as guide to action. The YCL need to clear determine few issues such as:
I. The role of the Youth that is class conscious of society and cadres development.
II. The role of revolutionary cadres as part of political education?
III. Why there is need to have class conscious masses?
IV. Workers that well aware of class issues.
V. Socialist state ought to give us.

The role of the youth.
The young activists of today need to know their role within then society in this point time, in particular those that aspire to be communist. This includes those that have dedicated their lives in ensuring that in South Africa we get to our intended destination socialism. One of the responsibilities of the YCL is ensure that it has capable leaders within it ranks as part of grooming them for the tasks of the mother body the SACP. Hence the future of the SACP lies in the hands of YCL and members of Party at large. This is why the SACP ought to ensure that it educate it youth wing and give the education so as to ensure that we have an ideological armed and equipped YCL members.

The SACP needs cadres of the YCL that are ideological armed and equipped would not want to memorize few or all key concept Marxism-Leninism of showing off hence scaring new members. The literature of Hegel, Marx, Engel and others has value to us if we use it correct that incorporate analyzing society and use it as guide to action. The strength of the SACP does not rely on few individual within the Party or in League. The strength of Party is mass based, particulars it lies in youth of South Africa who are the further member of the Party, the country and the revolution. The League need to be class conscious and to vivid about these issues more than any one. To have a Cadre that understand these issues is not enough for this current phase of our society in S.A but we need a cadre that can put theory into practice.

One must note that and emphasis that preoccupation with the theoretical assimilation whilst failing to practice what we say might be dangerous. The ideas of Marxism-Leninism would not come to fruition if they are treated merely as literary work. But we need to utilize such as a guide to action. All this should be emphasized where SACP and YCL cadre are based in branches. One ought to mention this in passing that there is serious need to know that in as much as we should understand the different political strands, our main role is to internalize the idea of the mother body that is the SACP, and ensure that we are ready to take over the baton for the struggle of the attainment of that vision, socialism. Part of these issues which we should focus on includes. Free Market, Land Reforms, Services and Policy particularly economic policies, due to the fact that economic policies have affected the youth hugely in our land.

Above all one should ignore their organizational work part of it is to ensure that they have society that is class conscious. All this requires that we have the best ideological armed and equipped youth to carry out all these tasks. One of young intellectuals Zola Saphetha defines the youth through the words of one of outstanding revolutionary.

“One of the great South African Intellectual the late President of the African National Congress Oliver Thambo once said a country that does not value its youth deserves no future. Young people are leaders of tomorrow with a wealthy future in their hands. So while we continue to engage the role of intellectuals we need to bring the youth in the mainstream of the political economy by mentoring and for purposes of succession plan as touch bearers of the future.” (1). This then gives the YCL more need to mobilize the youth who are undisputed that they are the future of the SACP who should shape the revolutionary agenda. Even the president of the youth of this country concurs that, society has no option but to attend to the call of youth for their own development, since there can be no future without a youth capable of meeting the needs of the country's development, writes Fikile Mbalula.(1.I)

The role of revolutionary Cadres.
The role of revolutionary intellectual can be well defined by the article written by Jeremy Cronin on Mzala. Cronin had the intention of giving us an idea how Mzala as revolutionary intellectuals behaved. The intention of this article by Cronin is for us to learn from the manner in which cadre ought to behave particularly the progressive young intelligentsia. One of the things that Cronin highlights about this stalwart of movement is the fact the “He was always partisan of his organisations. But he did not allow his loyalty to become a problem when evaluating his organization hence uncritical” (2). This translates to say that Mzala tried in every way possible to get the balance right between organisational loyalty and critical thinking which is not always easy. It might be valuable that, at this point to consider an example of Mzala in shaping the role of revolution of today.

Cronin goes further to say that revolutionary intellectuals are not dogmatic or elitist and highlight this which he says, “Many of us will have had the experience of comrades who quote from the "classics", or use jargon, not to illuminate a point, but to display their "superior" knowledge. We will all be familiar with the dogmatic invoking of an "authority", the unchallengeable word of this or that leader, or of "headquarters" - not to assist a discussion, but to silence debate” (3).The role of revolutionary intellectual is to apply what they have learned and further than that educate those who remain unfamiliar with such information particularly the that is only conscious but there is the young intelligentsia that can take the struggle of socialism forward. The young intelligentsia that is class conscious will strengthen the Party. This is to ensure that we maintain the strength of the working class in every possible way. The strength of the working class lies in hands of very strong ideological armed and equipped youth.

Since the YCL was reestablished one has seen how the class conscious youth, they have been hands on every issue that has occupied South African citizens. They have expressed their concerned on number of issue amongst them they have raised shapely the issue of the leadership of the ANC as part of the MDM structures, they have stood firm on their position regales of names they have been called. One ought to note that the above is not the only issue they have spoken on issues that relates economic policy. To illustrated this let me use the words of another young intellectual Nyiko when he says,

“It is indeed a commendable phenomenon that young intellectuals and revolutionaries if the YCL shape its strategic character and outlook in the present trajectory characterized by massive challenges for young people and a relative less influence from young activists. Nevertheless, the recent launch of the YCL’s defiance campaign and its concurrent rejection of the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative of South Africa (ASGI-SA) require a much closer analysis and assessment.”(4)).

In indeed the Young Communist League have been spot on in various cases even those that relates to policy. This reflect the how the young communist intelligentsia can be vocal on issue is well educated. Can you imagine what will happen if the whole youth of S.A will be like the members of YCL and it leadership. Regardless of what Nyiko goes on to say about the YCL regarding the defiance campaign.

Few well armed and equipped ideological soldiers will not be enough for the work that must be done. We cannot allow a situation where we have few people entrusted with a mandate of transforming this country to the country that we desire. We have seen through other movements let be liberation movements or whatever that a revolution that entrust few people with transformation does not succeed a good example will be Zimbabwe. The work ahead needs masses that are well equipped for the task at hand. If one were to mention that the defunct apartheid system for it to seize to exist there was mass involvement. Those mass were fully aware what they wanted as end result of their involvement in the struggle that was liberation from the defunct apartheid system. The same will apply in this battle that we are faced with of combating capitalism. The fight against capitalism should include almost every member of our society.

One might wonder why everyone that is member of YCL and the SACP does not like capitalism is simply because it creates society that is not desirable. Revolutionary intellectuals need not to fold their hands as if nothing wrong is happening. One ought to be aware that the youth suffering from HIV/AIDS, high pregnancy rate, high rate of unemployment, high crime rate and so often. We remain aware that the cause all this is the capitalist system. To the poor sex has become the sport and means of entertaining themselves due lack of job opportunities. While those can manage, go and play Golf when they are not thing about means of innovating production for their accumulation capital some like Buti remain unmoved that the solution to these problems is nothing else beside socialism.

Those who laugh when the YCL speak of socialist South Africa as if it impossible need to be reminded that Botha never though of a democratic South Africa lead by the ANC. Those who share the same sentiments with Prof R Hielbroner when he said, “Less than 75 years after it officially began, the contest between capitalism and socialism is over; capitalism has won ... the great question now seems how rapid will be the transformation of socialism into capitalism, and not the other way around!”(5). All these people who share the same sentiment must told that as the then youth of the ANC said Freedom in our life time, the youth of the SACP says Socialism is the future in our life time. Hence we had the YCL clear pronouncing that they are not yet in Uhuru.

Class conscious masses
The role of mass that are conscious of the battle that they ought to fight is that they will always have an understanding what will be the direction that the revolution needs to take. Further more masses have to guide the leadership at all times through programs that must be implemented. Mass involvement ensures that the movement is always guided so that we avoid entrusting few hands with the transformation agenda. Slovo share the same sentiments when he says, “This then tell us that we need not to say that the whole transformation agenda must be the work of selected few cadres. This has lead in my view to Stalinism.”(6).The centralization of power and responsibilities given to few individuals has show the way to the movement changing it course. This is a result of praising cadres as if they are not human beings capable of making mistake.

Everyone needs to be alert in the process of transformation. Anyone that is part of the movement must be in the forefront of transformation. Engles once said, “Of course, our …comrades do not thereby in the least renounce their right to revolution. The right to revolution is after all the only really historical right, the only right on which all modern state without exception rest” (7).Even the vanguard of the working class in the context of S.A that is SACP needs to develop that awareness amongst workers through COSATU. To ensure that we exercise our “historical right” as Engles says. One ought to maintain this that Marxism-Leninism is not a dogma but a guide to action.

Workers as well ought to be class conscious
It would be extremely dangerous to assume that every worker knows his or her role in the revolution. Marx and Engles viewed the workers as significant class that have power to change society, could face and defeat the bourgeoisie and their capitalist agenda. In the Communist Manifesto Marx and Engles say, “of all the classes that stand face to face with the bourgeoisie today, the proletariat alone is a genuinely revolutionary class” further than that they further say that “All previous historical movements were movements of minorities, or in the interest of minorities. The proletarian movement is the self-conscious, independent movement of the immense majority, in the interest of the immense majority”. (8)

If all workers were class conscious and viewed society in the manner that they ought to view it all of them must be members of Party. The fact that some portion of workers are not members of the Party illustrate very clearly that some workers do not vividly understand the issues of class struggle. Workers that are aware of their social standing and the manner, in which they relate to means of production under capitalist, will advocate for change of the system. The bourgeoisie laws and orders also give the proletariat the right to form its own political party. Further more they have the right to install that party into power all this is done within the legal framework of the bourgeoisie democracy. One ought to highlight one of the disturbing stories that workers remain divided according unions as result we have different unions e.g. SADTU and NATU. This signal the task at hand of uniting workers first before one starts discussing the issues of state power. The vanguard of the working class must stop assumption that there are workers that are reactionary and start of create the awareness amongst workers to ensure unite. What to one the popular taken from the Communist Manifesto, “Working Men of All Countries, Unite!” (9)

All workers from all corners of this country must wake up and a wage a war against the capitalist system. As Marx and Engles say, “not only because the ruling class cannot be overthrown in any other way, but also because the ruling class overthrown it can only in a revolution succeed in ridding itself of all the muck of ages and become fitted to found society anew” (10).

Socialist state
Given what has happened in the past some remain confused how is possible that there some people who remain convinced that socialism will ever work. There is belief that says the theory of Marxism, in all its essential respects, remains valid and provides an essential theoretical guide to achieve a society free of all forms of exploitation of one person by another. The major weaknesses which have emerged in the practice of socialism are the results of distortions and misapplications. They do not flow naturally from the basic concepts of Marxism whose core is essentially humane and democratic and which project a social order with an economic potential vastly superior to that of capitalism. Even some noble men that have once walked in this land shared the same notion like this one. Joe Slovo being one of those in article titled Has Socialisms failed Slovo says “But we emphasize again that the fundamental distortions which emerged in the practice of existing socialism cannot be traced to the essential tenets of Marxist revolutionary science. If we are looking for culprits, we must look at ourselves and not at the founders of Marxism” (11).

Slovo goes further to say “In some cases, the deformations experienced by existing socialist states were the results of bureaucratic distortions which were rationalized at the ideological level by a mechanical and out-of-context invocation of Marxist dogma. In other cases they were the results of a genuinely-motivated but tragic misapplication of socialist theory in new realities which were not foreseen by the founders of Marxism”.(12) Many in the past and even now assert the reason why Russia had economical stagnation and poor technological performance as compared to the capitalist world sector was because of socialism. This cannot be attributed to the ineffectiveness of socialist relations of production but rather to their distortion. Socialist relations of production provide the most effective framework for maximizing humanity’s productive capacity and using its products in the interests of the whole society.

It is very important that we take note of the fact that the founders of Marxism ‘never invented specific forms and mechanisms for the development of the new society. They elaborated its socialist ideal ... they provided the historically transient character of capitalism and the historical need for transition to a new stage of social development. As for the structure of the future society to replace capitalism, they discussed it in the most general terms and mostly from the point of view of fundamental principles’ (13). In light of this it worth noting that socialism ought to be taken as transition period to communism. As a result of this we ought to understand socialism in this light:

Socialism incorporates serious engagement with love for social up-liftment of the poor .Beyond doubt a socialist state is one in which all people are workers and in which neither capitalism nor feudalism exists. In a socialist state there is no exploitation of man by man. Hence everyone that is physically able to work does so every worker obtains a just return for the labour he/she performs and the income derived from different types of work are not grossly divergent. In a socialist country, the only people who live on the work of others, and who have the right to be dependent upon their fellows, are small children, people who are too old to support themselves, those that physical and mental challenged. This will include those whom the state at any one time cannot provide with an opportunity to work for their living.

To Build and maintain socialism it is essential that all the means of production and exchange in the nation are controlled and owned by the workers. Further, it is essential that the ruling Party should be a Party of peasants and workers in the South Africa context it will be SACP. It is worth noting that true socialism cannot exist without democracy also existing in the society.

Socialism is a way of life, and a socialist country cannot simply come into existence. A socialist society can only be built by those who believe in it and who themselves practice and breathe the principles of socialism. A committed member of SACP and YCL will be a socialist. The primary obligation of YCL and SACP member, and especially the leadership, is to accept these socialist principles, and to live his own life in accordance with them. I have always told myself that every leader of YCL and of the SACP will not live off the sweat of another man, nor commit any feudalistic or capitalistic actions. But discussion document of the SACP seeks to suggest that within the Party we have communist during the day and serious capital at night.

In conclusion I will use words of Che Guevara “Let me say, with the risk of appearing ridiculous, that the true revolutionary is guided by strong feelings of love. It is impossible to think of an authentic revolutionary without this quality .One must have a large dose of humanity, a large dose of a sense of justice and truth, avoid falling into extremes, into cold intellectualism, into isolation from the masses. Every day we must struggle so that this love of living humanity is transformed into concrete, into acts that will serve as an example” (14). With the hope that love drives everything and humanity therefore becomes the priority of every human. The poverty that we see around us, violence that we see around, teenage pregnancy, irregularities in our society the answer to all such is staring at us Socialism.


Reference
1. Saphetha Z, 2005. Young Intellectual Demanding their Space
2. (I) Mbalula, F.Umbrabulo26, 2006. http://www.anc.org.za/ancdoc/pubs/umrabulo26/art5.html
3. Cronin, J. Umrabulo 25, 2005.
4. Cronin, J. Umrabulo 25, 2005
5. http://floydn.blogspot.com/2006/04/ycls-defiance-campaign-under.html. 10 January 2007
6. The New Yorker, January 23, 1989
7. Slovo,J. Has Socialism failed 1989
8. Engles, Intro to Marx Class Struggle in France in On H.M, Progress Publishers ,Moscow 1972pp 264-269
9. F. Engles and K. Marx Communist Manifesto 1848 Progress Publishers, Moscow, USSR.
10. ibid. Communist Manifesto
11. Marx, K and Engles, F. The Germany Ideology , International Publishers, New York, 1970pp95
12. Slovo, J. Has Socialisms failed 1989
13. ibid. Has Socialism Failed 1989
14. Gorbachev, M. in Pravda November 26th, 1989
15. Guevara, E Che.