Marion Edmunds
AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS MP Philip Dexter does not have horns and a forked tail. But on the South African Communist Party’s 75th anniversary, he and other members of his party are persistently demonised by traditional opponents of communist ideology — and they are trying to shake off the guise.
“It would be nice for once for an article to be written which would show how we, South African communists, have been maligned, ridiculed, slandered, beaten, tortured and put in prison for our beliefs — and which would acknowledge that over the past 75 years we have always worked for peace and democracy, and that we are part of the South African social fabric and are here to stay,” said Dexter this week.
After 75 years, the SACP is still working towards its dream of a classless society, free of poverty and social inequality.
“Our opponents pose the debate in unreal terms, they set up a straw man … they have a vision of Stalinist labour camps, of people all marching in line, and they are confusing sometimes justifiable images with what communism in South Africa really is,” Dexter said.
Added SACP deputy secretary Jeremy Cronin: “The simplistic opposition between the market and some type of Brezhnevist state are supposed to be the only options available, but it is not so — that is an old debate. There is an attempt to redefine many things …”
Cronin and Dexter believe the SACP can move on into a new political reality without losing a grip on its principles. They acknowledge there are a number of old-style Stalinists in the party who will not accept policy development, but on the whole they believe the party is moving into the future with a sense of pragmatism.
“We are a moderate communist party fighting for the interests of the working class. Communism is an ideal, a vision of a classless, poverty-free society, a utopia. We are prepared for a long transitional stage of socialism. We need that, but it does not mean we should not fight for a communist society in the long term.
“What it will look like, we are not yet sure. It will not necessarily mean, for example, that people could not own private property or that a mixed economy would be out,” said Dexter.
The SACP, he added, believes its alliance with the ANC will help it to achieve its aims. When the ANC has reached its objectives of fighting poverty, racism and sexism, the SACP will decide where to position itself next. The SACP currently boasts four Cabinet members, two premiers, 50 MPs, six senators and much of the Congress of South African Trade Union (Cosatu) leadership in its ranks.
Cronin believes the ANC has had as positive an influence on the SACP as the SACP has had on the ANC. But he is eager to point out that the SACP does not want to eclipse the ANC.
“Our objective is not to compete with the ANC as an electoral party, but more to act as a catalysing national force. We are not trying to be the ANC, but are five degrees to the left … We are working in the context of an alliance.”