Antiimperialist and Antifascist United Front

Ten Years of ICOR

You are here: Home / 2013 / A Wave of Independent Mass Strikes in South Africa – Present Focal Point of the International Class Struggle!

A Wave of Independent Mass Strikes in South Africa – Present Focal Point of the International Class Struggle!

ICOR-Resolution, 29th October 2012

Since August 2012 a wave of independent mass strikes has been developing in South Africa. At the beginning of October at least 80,000 to 100,000 workers were on strike. At the core are the miners as the militant part of the international industrial proletariat. With the support of the South African ANC government and the right-wing trade union leadership of the NUM, the British mining monopoly Lonmin tried in vain to divide the independently organized strike of the miners of the Lonmin platinum mine in Marikana. The attempt to crush it violently failed as well. The police massacre on 16^th August, with at least 34 persons killed, set off a storm of indignation and solidarity in South Africa and worldwide. The miners and their wives and families fought without fear of death against the state apparatus. Those in power tried in vain to prevent the spreading of struggles by means by granting concessions with regard to wages. The struggle for the immediate release of the arrested strike leaders and against the state terror continued. Until 8^th October 2012, further 48 militant workers died. The spark of the struggle went over to the miners of the gold, iron ore and coal industry. It involved more centers of the international production, in particular in the automobile and transportation sector.

The struggles under the leadership of the industrial proletariat are bringing South Africa to the brink of a crisis of the system. After the overthrow of the apartheid regime, the ANC took over the government. It put itself more and more openly at the service of the international finance capital. The capitalist exploitation and oppression in South Africa was not eliminated. South Africa became an international focal point of investment for the most modern capitalist production. In South Africa are the strongest battalions of the international industrial proletariat on the African continent.

The patience of the workers and popular masses has come to an end. The corruption and shameless enrichment of many leaders of the ANC and the trade union umbrella federation COSATU, together with the miners trade union NUM, has become more and more scandalous. The policy of class collaboration of the international monopolies, governments and reformist trade union leaders has been deeply shaken. The essence of the class betrayal of the revisionist SACP, which as a member of the government openly justifies the state terror against the fighting workers and supported it, has become evident.

South Africa has become a focal point of the international class struggle. Winning struggles that are waged in a single country only poses a lot of difficulties (and becomes ever less possible). The cross-border coordination and revolutionization of these struggles is just at the beginning. Therefore it is the most urgent task of the revolutionaries of the world to systematically strengthen the party building of the revolutionary working class parties as the leading force of the international revolution and to give mutual support.

The ICOR will continue to publicize internationally the exemplary courage of the struggling workers of South Africa and their families, organize practical solidarity and the common struggle across borders.

The 22 million miners around the world have a special role and responsibility. Therefore the preparation and holding of the 1^st International Miners' Conference in Peru in March 2013 is being supported by the ICOR organizations and parties according to their possibilities.

We call to the striking workers in South Africa and their families:

Your struggle is our struggle!

Long live international solidarity!

Workers of all countries, unite!

Workers of all countries and oppressed peoples, unite!

____________________________________________________________

Signatories (on 27. December 2012, further signatories possible):

MLOA Marxist-Leninist Organization of Afghanistan
CPB Communist Party of Bangladesh
PC(MLM) Partido Comunista Marxista-Leninista-Maoísta de Bolivia (Communist Party Marxist-Leninist-Maoist of Bolivia)
BKP Bulgarische Kommunistische Partei, Bulgaria
PCC-M Partido Comunista de Colombia – Maoista (Comunist Party of Colombia - Maoist)
PRT Partido Revolucionario de los Trabajadores de Colombia (Revolutionary Workers Party of Colombia)
ORC Organisation Revolutionnaire du Congo (Revolutionary Organization Congo)
KSC-CSSP Komunisticka Strana Cheskoslovenska – Cheskoslovenska Strana Prace (Communist Party of Czechoslovakia – Czechoslovakian Workers Party), Czech Republic
SMKC Svaz Mladych Komunistu Cheskoslovenska (Union of Young Communists of Czechoslovakia), Czech Republic
PC (ML) Partido Comunista (Marxista Leninista) (Communist Party (Marxist-Leninist)), Dominican Republic
MLPD Marxistisch-Leninistische Partei Deutschlands (Marxist-Leninist Party of Germany)
CPI (ML) Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist)
INDOREV Indonesia Revolutionary
Ranjbaran Hezb-e Ranjbaran-e Iran (Ranjbaran-Party Iran)
MMLPL Maroccan Marxist-Leninist Proletarian Line (Maroccan Marxist-Leninist Proletarian Line), Morocco
NCP (Mashal) Nepal Communist Party (Mashal)
GML / Rode Morgen (GML / Red Dawn), Netherlands
PC/ML Partido Comunista (Marxista-Leninista) de Panamá (Communist Party (Marxist-Leninist) of Panama)
PCP-I Partida Communista Paraguayo (Independiente) (Paraguayan Communist Party (Independent))
PML del Peru Partido Marxista Leninista del Peru (Marxist-Leninist Party of Peru)
PPP Partido Proletario del Peru (Proletarian Party of Peru)
CPSA (ML) Communist Party of South Africa (Marxist-Leninist)
MLGS Marxistisch-Leninistische Gruppe Schweiz (Marxist-Leninist Group of Switzerland)
BP-NK-T Bolşevik Parti (Kuzey Kürdistan-Türkiye) (Bolshevik Party (North Kurdistan-Turkey)
TIKB Türkiye İhtilalci Komünistler Birliği (The Union of Revolutionary Communists of Turkey)
KSRD Koordinazionnyj Sowjet Rabotschewo Dvizhenija; Ukraina (Coordination Council of Working-class Movement of Ukraine)
ROL Revolutionary Organisation of Labor, USA