The African National Congress (ANC), the South African Communist Party (SACP) and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) all have, to the best of my knowledge, long non-racial traditions and unity in action. White and black workers belonged to the same organization even when it was illegal under apartheid. But if it is really true that this is the first time "white and black workers are beginning to fight together" [the article says that it is the first time they've bargained together] then the rising class consciousness can only be welcome. For many, many years, perhaps even before Canada's CUPW used it, the rallying cry of COSATU was An Injury To One Is An Injury To ALL!
Joe Slovo, one of the most honoured anti-apartheid leaders, was for many years the SACP leader. Slovo was a white guy. His photo still adorns the SACP home page as it should.
COSATU
SACP
ANC
The anti-aparthied movement was very strongly influenced by the non-racial ideology of the ANC, COSATU and the SACP. These attitudes had their influence as far away as Canada. When the Chief of the Peguis Reserve Louis Stevenson invited South African Ambassador Glenn Babb to the Reserve, embarrassing the Canadian Government and encouraging the representatives of the apartheid regime, the battery of representatives invited to persuade the Chief and the Elders not to invite Babb included a very ethnically diverse collection of Canadian activists as well as representatives of the ANC in Canada. They failed in their mission but insisted on a non-racial approach even in such a delicate situation. I should know. I was there.
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posted 11 August 2005 07:23 PM
