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TIME TO DELIVER: Numsa's Irvin Jim

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Numsa wants to see "strategic industries" nationalised - a view derived from the Free Charter, a 57-year-old ANC document.

The renewed call by one of Cosatu's most influential affiliates to nationalise industries is contained in a discussion document titled Numsa Political Economic Social and International Trajectory Post 2008, the union released yesterday ahead of its conference.

In the document the union does not comment on whether the current leadership is "equal to the task".

But the document point to an uneasy and inconsistent relationship between Numsa and the ANC.

Numsa accuses the ANC of not always taking pro-working class positions seriously.

"We are convinced that our principled defence of a pro-working class ANC does not always sit comfortably with some leaders in the ANC, even when such leaders actually come from and are members and leaders of the SA Communist Party," the document states.

It says nationalisation - through which the state takes over the ownership of private companies - would benefit workers and the poor.

"Numsa takes a very firm view that now is the time the country must move beyond the revolutionary reforms implemented since 1994, important as these may be, to placing the country (in a position) of translating the Freedom Charter into concrete deliverables on behalf of the people of South Africa."

Numsa says its relationship with SACP leaders has collapsed. This was sparked by Numsa's insistence that SACP leaders like Blade Nzimande be full-time in their positions.

Nzimande is Minister of Higher Education and Training.

In the document Numsa also raised concerns about the SACP leadership at national, province and district levels being in government, and not full-time in the party.

"Unfortunately our response booked us a ticket of being part of the new tendency. That is how the current leadership of the SACP views us," the document says.

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Sat May 18 22:21:31 SAST 2013 ::

May 18, 2012

Decibels

NUMSA IS CLEAR
ABZ!!
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May 18, 2012

fizo

Straight and forward..let's nationalise Cde's
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May 18, 2012

NDA

ABT
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May 18, 2012

Ngwijikhwebu

Irvin Jim and his Numsa must just sh'ut up. If they are unhappy about SACP leaders serving in government, then they must push forward their preferred candidates to contest the next SACP elections and replace Nzimande, Cronin, et.al.

Indeed those calling them "new tendency" are correct. It is an open secret that Mr Jim and his Numsa comrades have copied ANCYL's posture in many aspects, the only difference is that they have not used ins'ults like Malema and his henchmen.
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May 18, 2012

fabragas

mxm irvin jim
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May 18, 2012

willows

U all blamed MALEMA but now ur following his foot-steps.
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May 18, 2012

mkabayi

it is encouraging to see deep fissures now showing up in this unholy tri-partite alliance.
its time that we put a break on corruption, decadence, greed, incompetence, arrogance and
impunity of the ruling capitalist elite. its time workers and peasants formed a trully revolutionary
african nationalist party. to rid the land fully and finally of all evils of oppression and foreign
domination by pioneering together with nigeria, ethiopia and later the dr congo, the bringing
about of a unified african nation from cape to cairo. it's our only hope of maintaining our
self-determination as a people. most african countries are simply not viable, look at swaziland
and lesotho, south africa's viability is itself in question in the long run. for how can we survive
as a state where more than half of our youth have no realistic chance of finding a job, and
realise their full human potential? after all mineral resources have been depleted here, we
are likely to revert to the stone age economy, since we've so far failed to create a critical mass
of black africans with enough skills to pass over to the next generation for civilisation to survive.


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May 18, 2012

svenwg

When is the SOWETAN going to stop saying that the "Freedom Charter" is an anc document. In fact it was written by a bunch of White Communists and it took the anc a year to sign up to it, causing a split creating the party known as the PAC. The fact is also that Trade Unions are all communist organisations that do not believe in Democracy, that is why they never stand in elections, rather riding on the back of the anc and then doing everything in their power to stop anc policy. For example the Youth Subsidy.
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May 18, 2012

seanred110

Numsa, you want to nationalise a toilet? That is exactly where SA is heading.
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May 18, 2012

Mr.Boko

commentators of Sowetan, i do have problem with you, gave me one good reason why not nationalization. i just don't get you guys, sis
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