South Africa

Trade unionists picket Zimbabwe border

South African trade unionists picketed the Zimbabwe border last week to demand democratic and labour reforms ahead of Zimbabwe’s 31 March parliamentary elections. Members of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) gathered close to the border calling for solidarity with Zimbabwe's labour movement, which is increasingly restricted by security laws imposed by Mugabe's government. COSATU accuses the Zimbabwean government of human rights abuses and says the elections will not be free and fair. Two COSATU delegations have been expelled from Zimbabwe over the past year, most recently in...

COSATU delegation visits Zimbabwe

During the last week of October, a delegation from the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) arrived in Zimbabwe for a brief “fact-finding mission”. The COSATU visit was opposed by Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe. During its first meeting with the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU), COSATU delegates were detained by police. Within hours, they were dumped at the Zimbabwe-South African border. A war of words broke out between COSATU and its alliance partner, the ruling African National Congress (ANC), over the incident. COSATU was accused of showing “contempt for a head of...

South Africa, China, the USA

Paul Hampton reviews Frank Glass: the Restless Revolutionary by Baruch Hirson (Porcupine Press) Frank Glass was a pioneer Trotskyist of the 1920s and 30s. But his life and work has been largely forgotten, written out of history by the Stalinists and ignored even by genuine Marxists. Baruch Hirson (who died earlir this year) provides a critical and inspiring account of Glass’s politics. But also tragic, because while Glass helped bring Trotskyism into being he also presided over its metamorphosis into “orthodox Trotskyism” after Trotsky’s death. Frank Glass was born in Britain on 25 March 1901...

Stop Telekom redundancies

The South African telecommunications firm Telkom plans to shed another 4,181 workers in three years, despite making record profits this year. In 1999 Telkom employed more than 61,000 workers. This number has been almost halved to fewer than 32,000. The three trade unions in Telko — the Communication Workers Union, Solidarity, and South African Communication Union — have made a pact to fight these redundancies, and are asking for international solidarity. Send messages of support via Labour Start at www.labourstart.org/telkom

South Africa's biggest ever strike

More than 700,000 public sector workers, including 320,000 teachers, struck on 16 September in probably the biggest strike in South Africa’s history. Eight public sector unions representing teachers, nurses, police officers and prison wardens took part in the one-day strike. The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union said that around 200,000 strikers took part in the 24 marches held across the country. The strike is over this year’s pay offer to public sector workers. In April the government offered a 4.4% wage rise, far lower than the unions’ 12% demand. In June the government raised its...

BNP; Respect; ANC; USA; Olympics

Nazi thugs gain Any thoughts that the BNP might be in retreat should be completely dismissed. In a Dagenham council by-election on 15 July the BNP got 31% of the vote. This gave them more than the Tories, Lib-Dems and Greens put together. The BNP put out leaflets claiming that the Barking campus of the University of East London (soon to be closed, this massive building has a swimming pool, halls of residence, etc) is to be turned into a home for asylum seekers. The election was held on the same day that a BBC documentary about the BNP was broadcast. The programme showed BNP leader Nick Griffin...

10 years after the end of apartheid

Hope flickers in South Africa The African National Congress (ANC) won South Africa's general election on 14 April, with 70% of the vote. The queues to vote have shortened slightly after 10 years of democratic South Africa, but the voters are still overwhelmingly backing the ANC. The BBC website recorded the thoughts of some of the voters. Alvina Masinga, aged 59, ing KwaZulu-Natal said: "I feel like I did when I voted for the first time in 1994 - fantastic." Vicki Morris looks at why black voters are sticking with the ANC and whether their loyalty is being rewarded. The ANC were the political...

The fight against apartheid 10 years after: Why South Africa is still unequal

On 27 April 2004, Freedom Day, South Africans will celebrate the anniversary of the elections of 26-29 April 1994, and 10 years of "majority rule". On 14 April 2004 they will go to the polls to elect their third government since apartheid ended. In this article Vicki Morris looks at the history of apartheid and how it was defeated. In the next issue of Solidarity she will consider apartheid's baleful legacy. Ten years ago, the world marvelled at the queues of South Africa's black population going to vote for the first time. Four years earlier the world had watched amazed as Nelson Mandela...

South Africa: a tale of two charters?

On 14 April 2004 South African electors go to the polls to elect their government. It will be, more or less, the 10 years anniversary of the end of apartheid and of the beginning of 'majority rule' - one person, one vote - in South Africa. In coming issues of our newspaper Solidarity, available to view on this website, we will examine the history of apartheid, its demise, and its legacy, and the prospects for socialist struggle in South Africa today. Central to this history, of course, is the history of those who fought against apartheid, the nationalists and the socialists. As background to...

Workers of the world Round-up

By Pablo Velasco Colombian oil workers halt privatisation: solidarity works! "Massive summer strikes" planned in Korea ANC against anti-privatisation activists Argentine workers fight for a six-hour day Colombian oil workers halt privatisation: solidarity works! Colombian oil workers have won their struggle against privatisation, thanks to their resolute strike action backed up by international solidarity. In the last issue of Solidarity we reported on how the Colombian government was trying to break the month-long strike at Ecopetrol, the national oil company, using military force. The Uribe...

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