History Matters

“Every time we debate organizational renewal and review, we must always bear in mind that ANC must at all times be fit to the tasks of the day. As we said in 1997 that, “the character of the ANC must be determined by the nature of the care tasks that confront the National Democratic Revolutions [...]

What to make of the war of words that has erupted between Jonathan Jansen and Jessie Duarte? Briefly, ANC spokesperson Duarte is demanding that recently installed University of the Free State Rector Jonathan Jansen apologise for calling Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga a “lazy and incompetent minister, if one takes into account her record as [...]

A friend sent me an sms as she was going into the voting booth on April 22nd. “Going to hold my nose and vote”, she said. She was voting for COPE nationally and ID provincially only because she was sure they would not be in government. She detested many of the personalities in Cope, disagreed [...]

Mac Maharaj Published:Apr 23, 2009 The Times WITHIN the first five years of our democracy, a clique coalesced, developed ambitions and set themselves up as king-makers in our country’s politics and business. Life under a Zuma Presidency Their game plan was to concentrate and perpetuate power in their hands using our Constitution and democracy as [...]

ZACKIE ACHMAT: Mail and Guardian Mar 16 2009 ‘Comrades, my addiction to Leninist polemics is slowly coming under control.” I grew up with the political language of the left. We took no prisoners. Polemics and facts were used to deride an opponent and their political argument. “Capitalist apologists” were reformist comrades in the trade union [...]

By Norman Levy Published 9th December in the Cape Times The idea of the Freedom Charter and the Congress of the People (COP), from which it emanated, had so much potential that it was already seen as of historic importance before either the COP took place or the Freedom Charter was written. The South African [...]

  The ANC and all informed opinion makers are looking carefully at the split in the ANC and how this will effect the economy of the country which, like the rest of the globe, is facing an economic downturn and severe crisis. The ANC, it seems, is unable to manage the hemorrhaging of a sizeable number of its [...]

To: Terressa Mthembu Interim Secretary ANC Veterans League November, 2008. Dear Comrade, Thank you for the invitation to attend the inaugural 1st Provincial Conference of the KZN African National Congress Veterans’ League on 22nd November. I am 67 years old and I was recruited into the South African Communist Party in Cape Town in 1962. [...]