I refer to the deeply disturbing article “ANC ignores labour law” (August 3). The quotation by the African National Congress member of Parliament regarding the operations manager seems to confirm complaints from the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union of an authoritarian management style.
This authoritarianism cannot but impact negatively on labour relations and the general morale of staff.
As an ANC supporter, I would like to know how it is that ANC MPs especially those who are also members of the South African Communist Party or former Congress of South African Trade Union officials and officers have allowed such an untenable situation to develop.
The MP quoted in your article warns about the actions of management bringing the ANC into disrepute.
The question is: are all the other ANC MPs not equally concerned about what is being done in their name? Surely their management is accountable to them?
If the parliamentary ANC cannot defend the constitutional and statutory rights which were introduced into South Africa by an ANC government then we, who identify ourselves with the struggle for a democratic and just South Africa, must make our MPs accountable to us.
We need to be heard.
Enough has happened in the recent past to make us embarrassed to be ANC supporters. S Ruben, Wynberg
God help the country that adopts socialism
Recent issues of the Mail & Guardian, as well as other newspapers, have carried articles marking the South African Communist Party’s 80 years of existence. It is remarkable that no serious economic issue was raised in any of them.
Even more remarkably, no explanation or definition was offered for the use of phrases like “socialism”, “socialist project” or “socialist revolution”.
Socialism of the Leninist variety failed dismally in the economic sphere, and about 10 years ago millions of people in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union abandoned it for that reason, among others.
It is a reasonable conjecture that had the planned economies been able to achieve moderate but sustained growth in living standards for the majority of their populations, they may have survived, although only with complementary changes in political and social institutions.
Unless they address the underlying economic problems that face any system trying to do with less of the market mechanism and weakened private property rights in productive capital, all political groupings to the left of the African National Congress will remain “bound in shallows and in miseries”.
They need reminding of the old Soviet joke about a famous Stalinist slogan of the interwar years, almost certainly subscribed to by the communist party in South Africa of that time: “You can build socialism in one country, but God help that country.” S Archer, Rondebosch
Lemmer the liar
Krisjan Lemmer has again done us an injustice by not checking his facts. Last week’s item headed “Dangerous liaison” is certainly dangerous but only in its capacity to mislead your readers.
My wife Rosemary’s partnership, Bay Public Relations, was hired briefly to help promote Coega on behalf of the local business chamber in the mid-1990s. She has had nothing to do with Coega for many years.
True, our editorial stance is broadly in favour of the Coega port because we believe it is in the interests of the region and South Africa. However, as the Coega Development Corporation knows to its pain, the Herald has been at the forefront of critical reports and opinion on Coega, particularly on environmental issues. Ric Wilson, editor, Eastern Province Herald, Port Elizabeth
In brief
Thanks, Goda Ellis, I have not laughed so much for a long time (“Eve’s sneaky daughters”, August 30). Good sane article. Anita Green, via e-mail
Thank you for a stimulating series of articles published in your education supplement (August 3). The piece on the studied incomprehensibility of much academic writing is timely. Might I share with your readers a guiding principle on writing style offered by the American Marxist, Eric Olin Wright? “You must learn to write in such a way that it will be as easy as possible for your critics to know why they disagree with you.” Jeff Rudin, via e-mail
The article “You’re too young for sex” (August 3) is not representative of the city of Johannesburg’s policy and commitment to service delivery and excellence. The manner in which [two teenage girls] were treated is receiving serious attention. The nurses involved have been asked to give a detailed account of the incident. We will be able to comment once a comprehensive report has been compiled. Aletta Suping, communications department, City of Johannesburg