For 25 years the ANC has consistently elected black presidents that are loyal to white supremacists and oppressors. They have successfully done that to the detriment of the African majority whose ancestors fought took and nail to eliminate oppression, racism, discrimination, dehumanisation and enslavement of the Africans. We are aware of the fact that South Africa belongs to the white people (owning over 80% of the land and economy), thanks to the Freedom Charter of 1955.
The PAC has warned the South African people that the so-called “1994 democratic breakthrough” was a strategic concession by the ANC and the ‘official handing over’ of the South African land and its indigenous people to the colonisers. The PAC believes in Pan Africanism, Black Consciousness, African Nationalism, African Identity, African Socialist Socialism, self-determination, self-reliance, self-acceptance and Socialist United States of Africa. In a nutshell, the PAC believes in the total liberation of Africans; the returning of land that was stolen by the settler colonialists using the roaring guns of Europe that killed many people, kings and chiefs. The PAC knows the overwhelming pain and suffering that was visited upon the African people is the result of European settlers.
We are now reaching a stage where we need to elect the new government. Given the revelations of state capture and corruption exposed by the Zondo and other commissions, we are left wondering why the South African people would want to return the ANC into power. The ANC presidents are loyal to the white people, ANC MP and cadres are serving their interest through corrupt means. Who is left untainted among the ANC deployees? Only God knows.
We charge that the ANC presidents (and its cadres) have been loyal to the white liberals and black people’s oppressors hence the ownership patterns in the economy are tilted toward whites – not much has changed in terms of ownership since the colonial-apartheid era. South Africa is still owned by white supremacists, even if we were in the democratic country, that means there had been few opportunities, in the past 25 years, for black people to actually realise their dreams of owning a sizeable portion in the South Africa economy.
Many Africans are still very poor. Those who have access to the mainstream economy can only do that as long as they are salaried, which means they are 30 days away from poverty. Actually, Africans are still slaves in their own land. White supremacists own everything – land, mines, banks, factories, shopping centres, malls, industries, farms and many private companies. University and school management is dominated by the liberal Eurocentric views of the oppressors. Africans do not own the land and mines and factories, even their opinions must be approved by the oppressors.
There is a need for Africans to fight for their own total liberation. Africans, especially the poor cannot wait for the ANC to liberate them. They must be their own liberators. The journey toward the total liberation of the African majority is by voting the ANC out of power. We need to replace it with the PAC. People need to houses, proper sanitation, jobs, good quality socialist education, electricity, roads and welfare. How long must the African people raise their voices complaining about lack of access to basic social services?
As long as the ANC elects black presidents to serve white liberals in a white country the African people are going to struggle and suffer in the hands of the oppressor. The PAC warned the ANC about privatisation and danger of capitalism, neoliberalism and imperialism which manifests itself in various ways. Labour brokers continue to exploit our people. There are no benefits for those who are employed. It is profit before human beings. The ANC which claimed to be the champion of human rights is complicit and is party to the exploitation of our people by the labour brokers. The ANC does not want to ban labour brokers because its cadres are benefitting including other corruption activities that eat away money meant for the delivery of fundamental services.
For 25 years, the ANC has elected black presidents who are deployed to the service of a white minority. When white people cry over nonsensical issues the ANC pays attention. When the African majority cry for the delivery of basic services, the ANC waits for the property to be destroyed or people to die in order to listen. Africans need to ask themselves, during these national elections, how would their lives improve if they could own land? They need to ask themselves, “why after 25 years of democracy, African people do not own banks, industries and factories?” Foreign direct investment is important for the advancement of skills and knowledge in our economy, but why are we still dependent on other people from other countries and continents for survival after 25 years? Where is the missing link?
The African people are buying goods and services from retail stores, factories and industries but not shares. There is no way in the current economic and political climate that material and spiritual interests of Africans can advance. Loyalty to neoliberalism at the expense of African scientific socialism will not make the majority of Africans prosper. The ANC policies of pushing back of frontiers of poverty are working well to ensure that millions of Africans remain poorer. Elites and benefiting cadres of the ANC are pushing poverty away from their families onto poor African families.
It is common to find ANC cadres proudly claiming, “I did not join the struggle to be poor” whenever they are questioned about government failures and bureaucratic bungling. Thus, the PAC calls for ideological re-definition, soul-searching, and the return to the liberation and ideological track to African Nationalism and Scientific Socialism, a foundation upon which the ANC of 1912 was established. Loyalty to the African cause must be the guiding light during these national elections. We, therefore, call upon every South African to vote for the PAC to save the ANC the ignominy of turning against their founding principles; of ignoring the good fight fought by their ancestors; of ignoring the clarion call for the total liberating of Africans in Azania. No to neoliberalism! Down with capitalism! Down with corruption! Forward to Pan Africanism! Forward to Self-determination! Mayibuye Afrika!
* Nyameko Sinandile is a member of the Pan African Congress (PAC).
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.