THE APARTHEID regime South Africa bans the most important black organisations. This includes the black {VILsciousness organisations of the 1970s and, most importantly, the African National Congress (ANC).
legal political opposition to the policies of the apartheid regime has therefore been primarily through two united front organisations United Democratic Front (UDF) and the Natonal rorum. vi lat lwo the overwhelmingly THE MUNICIPAL and General Workers' Union of and politics important is the NOTe UDF. This claims 600 atfiliated organisations with two members.
question for the black, non-racial, African affiliated to neither the National Forum.
black the CUSA its affiliates the National Union of Mineworkers.
The non-affiliated South African Workers the General Workers Union, reneral Allied Workers have joined just The Su.
In our next issue we Here Municipal Both excerpted Black Workers, unions, for by Denis MacShane, Ward. put to the National Executive Committee during April. It was agreed that the matter be diseussed at the Joint executive Conn. cil (JEC) of CUSA on 30 request together with a draft resolution was structure.
primarily that themselves unions are autonan initiative the deal'. This opposition should Even if the WYC tinues to as litica SALB various other the recomin resolution; the commitment was able to tional Proposals.
posals of the regime on the The other alternative would be for the unions to the of a will lead the workers the struggle against the deal' This type of grouping - it is argued would that the political goals of the working class are promoted. We disagree with this position for the following reasons: a. No 'working class party' ys ever composed only workers.
Anyone who
prepared to fight for the kind of fundamen.
tal changes that would enable 10 0C free would be welcome working li is true that a procave one cred tion can most naturally Lake rool amonest the working It 15 not true that a political Having further exanuned ine basis or toe cal.
various organisations regarding the constitutional proposals;
Noting that the Nationalist Party is presently in disarray and that these proposals may therefore changed to white rule under different guise through reterendum, Knowing that the white opposition forces and parties are themselves divided and without any effect. The Council of Unions of South Africa now therefore:
wishes to place record its complete and total rejection to the proposal;
• pledges itself to participate forum work leadership composed of workers is automatically progressive. b. We mentioned — in the first part of our discussion - the fact that it is the black workers South Africa who have suffered most under tie vanous parts or tae apartheid capitalist This is because this system functions in such a way as to enable the bosses to make the highest possible profits workers xpany other workers. other people have also suf Tered terribly at the the rural poor for example Some who will unite with us will not be Broad freedom - but because it is the same roac unite and work together Some believe that we will be betrayed by those who towards the achieve. ment of a just and democratic society;
• calls upon its members lend their individual sup port to all efforts of community organisations to end this foolish plan;
• pledges itself to all forces and all efforts to work towards a common citizenship Individed democratic and just society.
Following the response of various unions and the nature oi press reports together with intransigent positions adopted by some sections of the community CUSA is involved currently in an ongoing examins. tion of its attitude and role in the UDF and the NFC would get rid of racial discrimination but are not too keen to-shake things up any further. Our reply to this is quite simple We believe that it is impossible to separate off apartheid the capitalist system it has fed. A truly commited opposi tion to apartheid (and its consequences will lay thi foundation for fundamental change in the entire system in • South Africa Our present struggle does not have to be base on some abstact "idea society of the future. A struggle which aims to get rid apartheid - to get rid of the homelands get rid of the inequality Ine land, education, etc. kind of struggle — if it is taker to its logical conclusion -will undermine the foun dations of apartheid capitalism. The rest is up to us.
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seping up of a Workers any tat