Like many of us I was astounded at the brutality visited on our people in Marikana, particularly its planned side.
In spite of the above and the many condemnations and visitations of support, I have been at critique with my innerself, probing what this means if anything for us, us members of the party of Lembede and Sobukwe. Answers to this question have been hard to postulate. In contrast it has been less hunty to find answers on what it means for the country and our people. On this front, I am certain our people have gained the confidence that the ruling regime can be confronted and that a revolutionary change is possible. Many who doubted the resolve and competence of our people to rise are having to review in shame their scripts of label and prophesy. Our people will rise and there in Marikana, in their poverty without any fighter jet nor a hippo have gone on a face off with the system, capital whose political face is the ruling party as its appendage. That is how I believe our people interprete these events. But back to my point, what does it mean for the PAC if anything? I will make an attempt at this question hereunder. In depart I acknowledge all our leaders and comrades who made visitations of support and those of who added to the many voices that expressed disgust and condemnation of the state sponsored partisan massacre of our people. To be honest, and I am not in any way down playing the massacre, it means nothing more for the PAC than it means to all other parties including the ANC. I insist that we learn from history. The ruling party has on many occasions brutalised our people only to be followed even better by the same section that bore the brunt of these attacks. The truth is that while the poor vent their anger at the administering party, they do not necessarily identify this as the chief enemy defending capital and its killer philosophy. And in fact they are very doubtful of a new entrant worse if that entrant has no name and repute such as our PAC is and has been for a few years now. I am certain that the average Marikana resident and worker will look at the PAC s overtures and say but can they lead us against the regime? Are they better than the ruling party ? Can they stand with us to face these bullets ? I suggest the workers will pass a negative on us. Remember it is these workers that have been voting against and away from us as part of the commuties for over 17 years now. We can't expect that now that they are in desperation they will judge us positively, they will in fact be more cautious and edgy which is what we all do when death befalls. Many of our members have visited these communities. I wonder, very seriously, what they say when they get there. This is critical !! In situations like this, every act and word is markedly noted. The danger of saying things we have no capacity to follow through on far outweighs that of just not going there at all. The masses will be punitive in the extreme. That is why all these visits must and I trust it was so, follow one chain of command. It must not be out of the goodness and enthusiasm of a comrade to go there and converse with the victims. The message we carry must be well carved, uniform and punchy. Most critical it must be one we are prepared to act on and have made immediate resourse capacity to make true. This is what you do when you deal with disaster and the victims, especially because that space is contested. The only real lesson for us to draw is to note in our minds and hearts that spontaneity and show room won't take us far. We knew the ruling regime will react this way - kill our workers, we know now that soon there will be assassinations, arrests and many other calamities. It is reaction of the highest magnitude to await occurence of these and then make all these visits and condemnations. Our party cannot function like that. We have the power of preemption and organisation. This is why we need a program of action, agree on it, so that we drive these uprisings, they must become ours just as they are for the masses. We need to drive one agreed program so that our visits are organisational and uniform in form and purpose. We need to rally each other around this point. My piece. I am an African of the PAC Matome Mashao Sent from my BlackBerry® -- Sending your posting to [email protected] Unsubscribe by sending an email to [email protected] You can also visit http://groups.google.com/group/payco Visit our website at www.mayihlome.wordpress.com
