As one of the largest Marxist-Leninist trade unions on the continent, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) is committed to advancing solidarity with the working class and the poor of Venezuela whose revolution is under attack. This offensive is driven by the U.S. and their allies in the European Union and their goal is to wipe out the Bolivarian Revolution and erase the positive contribution of former president Hugo Chavez whose nationalization policies improved the lives of the working class majority and the poor in Venezuela. The reforms which former Chavez implemented were a threat to U.S. interests and therefore it has been turning up the heat on the Venezuelan economy with targeted sanctions, in order to asphyxiate the government into submission. The offensive is designed to rob the Venezuelan people of their chosen path to pursue the struggle for Socialism.
As NUMSA we recognize that we must urgently ramp up the work required to organize the working class as a class for itself. In South Africa we have resolved to build Workers Party Structures and solidarity networks locally and on the continent to fight colonialism and imperialism.
NUMSA held the first meeting of the Socialist African Assembly at the VMCC Conference venue in Johannesburg over the weekend. A gathering of the Sub-Sahara Assembly of Movements and Peoples Organisations from at least fifteen African countries on the continent including Burkina Faso, Ghana; Cape Verde and Zimbabwe came together to discuss ways to revive the struggle for Socialism on the continent. The two day seminar also focused on strategies to express solidarity with the people of Venezuela whose socialist revolution is being threatened by backward neo-liberal Capitalist forces.
NUMSA’s General Secretary Irvin Jim recognizes that alliances with progressive formations are essential if we are to achieve our goals:
“The breakthroughs of our revolution would not have been possible without the alliance of the two political axis: the working class and the youth and most importantly international solidarity as a fundamental pillar of our struggle.”
NUMSA will be working closely with the Sub-Sahara Assembly of Movements and Peoples Organizations to strengthen regional ties and to consolidate support for the ideals of the Bolivarian revolution which were driven by the former Venezuelan president. The Assembly also resolved to use the platform to fight against tyranny and injustice in other parts of the globe, namely, the DRC; Zambia and the ongoing crisis in Palestine, to name just a few. The former president of Venezuela Hugo Chavez was correct when he said:
“I thought it was possible to put a human face on capitalism. But I was wrong. The only way to save the world is through socialism, but a socialism that exists within a democracy”
Oxfam’s latest report on inequality found that a staggering eighty-two per cent of the wealth generated last year went to the richest one percent of the global population. Proving once again that under Capitalism there is only freedom and democracy for the wealthy one per cent. For the working class and the poor there is only misery, poverty and austerity measures.
Therefore, we have no choice but to do all we can to permanently restructure society in the interests of the working class majority. This means we must intensify the battle against capitalism and imperialism in order to end the suffering caused by inequality. We are the many, it is time to take back what rightfully belongs to us!
Aluta Continua!
The struggle continues.
Issued by Irvin Jim
sNUMSA General Secretary