Comrade Ronnie "Khumalo" Kasrils risks sinking into the murky waters of a counter- revolutionary
It is with a sense of complete shock and disappointment that one of the admired former members and leaders of our glorious Party, Comrade Ronnie "Khumalo" Kasrils has made a regressive U-turn through his extreme populist pronouncements that he will not vote ANC in the upcoming general elections (see Mail & Guardian report). Whilst the Party respects Comrade Ronnie's democratic right and freedom of choice, the timing of his pronouncement just days before elections is, in fact, adding to the regressive nature of reactionaries in South African society against the ANC.
Comrade Ronnie is falling squarely into the agenda of the opponents of the National Democratic Revolution by posturing in the neo-liberal media space to grab headlines by attacking the movement. His criticism can be surmised as nothing but an opportunity to lash out at personal rivals serving in the current administration.
Whilst playing to the gallery, Comrade Ronnie commits two ahistorical errors; firstly, he casts doubt in the public mind about ANC's success, "The ANC has had 20 years to prove itself. If it hasn't proved [itself], then I'm saying: Listen to your head and your heart." Secondly, he commits a grave error of equating the unfortunate Marikana incident to the brutal Sharpeville Massacre of the 1960s.
The ahistoricism is not an accident it is a calculated ploy to unfairly discredit the ANC government which shows a great deal of dishonestly. Firstly the ANC government has made great strides fundamentally to improve the living conditions of our people as indicated in the 20 year review which was released recently. Comrade Ronnie was coincidently a direct driver in government for 14 of those 20 years.
As a result of the programmes of the ANC led government, millions of our people have access to basic services; our education system is improving, especially in the last five years; the economy has been stable despite investment strike by greedy capitalist; respect for the rule of law; millions of South Africans specifically the poor who are living with HIV have access to ARV's, especially in the last five years; and, life expectancy has Improved. Indeed the lives of the people have changed for the better under ANC government.
In the second instance equating Marikana and Sharpeville is not just unscientific and baseless but also flawed. The ANC president who is also the President of South Africa immediately appointed an independent commission to investigate the entire incident and the process is ongoing. To randomly throw blame on the ANC led government about an issue that is under investigation is notonly reckless and mischievous but also a desperate attempt to tarnish the image of the ANC. An honest look reveals that indeed the police have a lot to answer regarding Marikana incident. It is also factual that before the Marikana incident more than 15 workers, including security guards, were killed in the area by vigilantes of AMCU.
Our understanding of Sharpeville is that the racist white apartheid police shot indiscriminately at defenceless and unarmed Africans during a peaceful demonstration of rejecting apartheid pass laws. The apartheid regime did not take any form of responsibility let alone institute state intervention in support of the victims. In the case of Marikana, the state condemns the killing and instituted a commission of inquiry to investigate the matter.
As a Party cadre who has learned a lot from Comrade Ronnie Kasrils, we admire him and appreciate the role he has played in our struggle to advance and consolidate the NDR. He joined and led our struggle when it was not fashionable to do so especially as a white South African. However we are under no illusion that all comrades who participated during our intense struggle for liberation were indeed genuine revolutionaries. Some of them were double agents that were planted by the CIA and other counter revolutionary agencies to undermine and disorganise our struggles, including the creation of confusion among our comradeship to delay our liberation. This does not necessarly suggest that comrade Kasrils was one of those elements but that there were a number of such characters among the peoples camp who tirelessly served double agendas under the guise of the revolutionary cause. Hence our conviction that duration of time spent in this movement will never be a barometer to measure ones commitment to the plight of the poor of this country.
Comrade Ronnie, as a former CC member of our Party will understand the importance of the relationship between the past and the present. He knows through the Party teachings that we cannot be stuck on his past without relating it to his current role in our struggle to advance, deepen and consolidate the NDR.
He is mobilising against the ANC on the bases of challenges emanating from his tenure in government .Centrally to these challenges was creation of the narrow BEE programme that was opposed by the SACP and COSATU on the basis that it only benefited few politically connected elite with a ppropensity for massive corruption. Privatisation of the state assets which culminated to the millions of job losses and massive casualisation by labour brokers. A decrease on social spending including health and education that culminated to closure of colleges and hospitals. It is only five years ago that ANC led government had to correct these neo-liberal programmes that reversed the gains achieved since the 1994 democratic breakthrough.
A conclusion one gathers from Comrade Ronnie's recent stance and utterances is that of a disgruntled Comrade who has perhaps forgotten that Communism requires constant self-criticism and self-cultivation, regardless of one's veteran status or years spent in the struggle. It is the Party's concern that since Comrade "Khumalo" no longer serves in our ranks, perhaps he has been influenced by poisonous tendencies that might have eroded his Marxist-Leninist foundations.
We appeal to Comrade Ronnie to cease rendering himself unto counter-revolutionaries who applaud his recent and past platitudes against the ANC and Alliance. We urge Comrade Ronnie to return to our ranks and desists this isolationalist tendency yearning for the spotlight which undermines his contribution to the struggle.
Khaya Magaxa is the Provincial Secretary of the SACP Western Cape, ANC MPL and ANC PEC Member.
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