Malema's misguided militancy Thembinkosi "Guerrilla" Zondi 22 November 2011
Thembinkosi Zondi says the claimed ANCYL constitutional amendments are a fiction *Misguided Militancy is Suicidal&Counterrevolutionary: Genuine Economic Freedom Fighters Unite!* Perhaps, I should firstly acknowledge that the issues that I am about to raise here were supposed to be dealt with in formal structures of the ANC YL. However given the fact that the political and organisational situation is abnormal as signalled by a desperate assertion that "gloves are off", my intervention could equally be viewed as abnormal. Having said the above I should state that this article's main argument is that misguided militancy, as displayed by what Lazola Damase correctly termed "petit bourgeois economic freedom fighters", is not only suicidal but it could also militate against a genuine second phase of the National Democratic Revolution. This phase is all about translating political freedom to bringing sustainable food on the table, decent jobs, free and efficient basic health care, crime free society and free (in terms of fees and freeing the curriculum content from ideological biasness) and compulsory education. In summary, this phase is (in) famously referred to as economic freedom in our lifetime. This is a very serious and relevant phase. What makes a genuine call for economic freedom in our lifetime to be more relevant is that while our ANC led government has achieved a lot but there are time-ticking bomb socio-economic challenges that needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency. For instance, 1 in 10 Africans are malnourished, 1 in four African children are undersized, around less than 45% of the total South African population lives on less than US$2 a day. Additionally, the *SA Stats Mid-Year 2010 Population Estimates* noted that out of approximately 49, 9 million people in South Africa, almost 18 million of these are between the ages of 14 and 35. The National Treasury document on Confronting Youth Unemployment also observed that that the unemployed youth are generally less skilled and inexperienced with virtually 80% having no formal or tertiary education, whilst two thirds never worked. Accordingly, the above stats make a call for a genuine economic freedom to be relevant. Hence genuine economic freedom fighters must unite to defend the long term goal of our struggle. The failure to rise up and fight against "petit bourgeois economic freedom fighters'" with a double agenda would make mockery of the very same second phase of the national democratic revolution that they ostensible claim to be advancing. It is important to mention that the second phase of the struggle is not a creation of the current leadership of the ANC YL. The reason behind this is that the careful reading of both the history and the theory of the South African revolution would indeed confirm that economic freedom has always been a long term objective of the struggle. However the national question and national reconciliation including the unfavourable global and domestic balance of forces meant that there must be a strategic compromise on the radical agenda. It is a serious political indictment to note that even the most theoretically clear comrades have fallen trap to this glaring misguided militancy that would not only erode the core values of the African National Congress (a leader of our revolution). By the way, it was the late Harry Gwala who, during the era of 1976 uprisings, correctly argued that while militancy of young people must be welcomed but misguided militancy is not only suicidal but it is also counterrevolutionary. Cde Joel Netshitenzhe almost said the same thing when he correctly reminded us of the old maxim that revolutionary sounding slogans can at times be counterrevolutionary. The basis for this warning from these two struggle icons is that any revolutionary agenda must be informed by a careful analysis of material conditions prevailing at the time and rules of engagement must be a guide. This means that any revolutionary action/s must not undermine the core values and principles of the African National Congress that has stood the test of times. These values and principles include: unity of tribes, respect for leadership, humility, self-respect, constructive criticism, democratic centralism, self-criticism, elected leadership, mandate and UNITY AND COHESION. It is these principles and core values that should guide any militancy and revolutionary action hence some comrades would talk about revolutionary-disciplined militancy. This type of militancy takes into cognisance the core values and principles of the mother body (ANC). In fact, misguided militancy and the manipulation of congress resolutions are not only counterrevolutionary and suicidal but it also undermines our core values and principles. For instance, the claim that the 24th National Congress of the ANC YL resolved that the YL is a vanguard of the working class and that Constitutional amendments included a clause preventing disciplinary outcomes of the ANC apply *mutatis mutandis *to suspended members of the ANC YL. Since I was sober as a judge, I can confirm the first issue was discussed and rejected and the second one did not even arise at the plenary. For argument sake, even if it did some of us would not have allowed excitement and our principled initial genuine support for Juju to cloud our objective understanding of rule 7.4 of the ANC Constitution which correctly provides that *"the Youth League will function as an autonomous body within the overall structure of the ANC, of which it will be an integral part, with its own Constitution, rules and regulations, provided that these SHALL NOT be in conflict with the Constitution and policies of the ANC".* Simply put, the ANC Constitutional is the supreme law under which all its Leagues must conduct its business including Constitutional amendments. This therefore means while enjoying a certain degree of autonomy but they are not independent from the ANC. For instance, this will mean that even the question of disbanding lower structures must be informed by established core values and principles. Hence it is out of order for higher structures of the Leagues to wake up from a ‘political power and otherwise hangover' and disband lowers structures that are fully functional and have both political and organisational growth like KwaZulu Natal. By way of conclusion, it is also part of misguided militancy at its best form to justify current deliberate acts of ill-discipline and defiance of our ANC on the basis of past mistakes committed on the rough road to Polokwane 2007. The failure by some former aspirant communists- who are now diehard Youth Leaguers- to read the forever changing material conditions going to Bloemfontein vindicates the view that indeed political consciousness does not bid farewell when it leaves you. Finally, genuine economic freedom fighters must unite and defend the ANC and what it stands for! *Thembinkosi "Guerrilla" Zondi, Moses Mabhida Region's KZ221 ward 3 ANC branch Secretary writing in his personal capacity. * -- You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to [email protected] 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 [email protected] . You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to put anything in the message part. All you have to do is to send an e-mail to this address (repeat): [email protected] .
