[YCLSA Discussion] Educate to nationalize, not nationalize to exploit - Sive Gumenge

[Dominic Tweedie]

Educate to nationalize, not nationalize to exploit     Sive Gumenge, CPUT graduate and SASCO, ANCYL and Young Communist League member   The ANC Youth League’s call for the nationalization of mines has overlooked the real phenomenon concerning “economic freedom”.  The ANCYL was interested in missing it, for reasons known by them.   Everyone is conscious of the economic situation in South Africa. The unemployment rate released recently by the Labour Force Survey sky rocketed 25.3%, meaning 4.41 million people are jobless.   ANC YL President Julius Malema should not flatter South African working class and the poor with calls that he, more than them, has a direct interest in. The call for economic freedom was long ago made and even the desire to nationalize. This was long before Malema could begin technical drawings in his woodwork class. It must not suddenly be escalated beyond other things because some fat capitalists in the mining industry are feeling the belt is loosening down.   To be quite frank, Malema is only representing the interests of those in the mining industry within the ANC leadership when he shouts and screams nationalization of mines and of course concern about the little stake he will get if it succeeds.   Therefore, he should not even attempt to exploit the name of young people because young South Africans are far from being interested in nationalization of mines besides demanding free quality and decent education and training which will marshal decent jobs. The youth of South Africa is not narrow-minded to be calling for nationalization of a dead industry that will not bear any worthy fruits for them except wasting their energies, time and skills.   The youth of South Africa, recognizes very well that access to decent education and training is essential for the completion of the liberation struggle, whose foundation must usher economic freedom as Minister of Higher Education and Training promised in his budget vote of 2011/12.    What Malema does not understand is that mining includes a number of skills which the country is still grappling with and falling short of. It must be made known that abolishment of technical colleges could be one of the significant blunders of the South African government in terms of skills training and development. Malema should have been raising this now ahead of nationalization of mines. The Universities of Technology are still far from producing South African artisans with engineering science, planning and structural drawing and all other engineering-related skills.   Consequently, as young South Africans or youth of the working class we must ask ourselves: In whose interest is this nationalisation? We have seen that the National Planning Commission of South African government is not fond of it, let alone the ANC itself.   I think that beyond the Youth League’s lack of an economic advisor, Malema should in any case have consulted the Ministry of Minerals and Energy, The Mining Qualifications Authority and COSATU in terms of workers’ exploitation in the mining industry. Malema should also have consulted the Ministry of Higher Education and Training on the role being played today by merged institutions such as those of Technology in producing skilled artisans with capacity and ability of sustaining the mines of the country through skills production.  The ANC YL insults every person who has a different opinion to them. But these institutions are better placed to inform us as a country whether we are ready or not.   In line with the latter, they should have engaged the Progressive Youth Alliance partners such as SASCO on the model of free education they demand and its link to skills development, and the YCL in its call for Jobs for Youth, as to where do you they see a job market for young people. Then engaging ESKOM in detailing future energy possibilities with the mines being nationalized to avoid deaths in the mines one day when blackouts arise would have put the cherry on top before screaming and kicking in our ears. Thus, the working class youth should follow the ideas of Joe Slovo when he said, “It is, in any case, a basic maxim of working class revolutionary strategy that, at every stage, it is necessary to maximize the forces which can be mobilized against the ruling class around a principled common immediate programme”.   Hence therefore, I think the nationalisation of mines issue should be engaged by the greater part of society rather than Malema threatening the leadership of ANC to support the capitalist bailout programme. Thus I say if Malema was genuine, he would be first raising key issues relating to nationalisation of mines such as protection of workers in the mines. How do you nationalise mines if workers are not fully protected? Workers in the mines, everyday complain about being exploited and low salaries, yet the Malema thinks we think his call is legit.   Karl Marx argues that, “the history of all hitherto existing society, is the history of class struggle”. Thus it will not change workers being exploited in the mines even if the state could own 60% and private ownership 40%. This percentage sharing is about capitalists being protected by the state, even if their mines are collapsing. Therefore they will do whatever it takes to sustain their mining proceeds and exploitation of workers will therefore not stop because of nationalisation.   Reality is that young people today are interested in decent jobs than working in the mines because of what they witnessed on their fathers, uncles, etc.   Basically, Malema’s interest is to exploit the youth for his own capitalists interests rather than educating it for better nationalization. There are nationalised parastatals here such as SABC, SAA and ESKOM, we must ask the big question as to, what is happening with them? Their boards are collapsing everyday and their CEO’s are resigning everyday with golden handshakes instead of the money being given to workers for salary increases. Even within the mining industry, there are companies such as AURORA which Malema is silent about. Everybody knows that mines are in debt and yet Malema wants South Africa to waste its money and energy in such an industry.   Let us therefore as young people of South Africa take the debate to the public and seek to understand what you people want from the ANC. Is it nationalised mines or nationalised decent education which will lead to decent job?   For Socialism,     Sive Gumenge Cape Town Western Cape 0768945800 CPUT graduate and SASCO, ANCYL and Young Communist League member     -- You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to yclsa-eom-forum@googlegroups.com or reply to this message. You can visit the group WEB SITE at http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery options, pages, files and membership. To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email yclsa-eom-forum-unsubscr...@googlegroups.com . You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. 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