The international solidarity movemc w coa canc, d cur das never been at a higher level - and the apartheid regime has never been more isolated.
It is therefore almost incredible to tina mounting disorientation ding the situation in South Africa in miprtant parts ol lne Dausa ielt. IHstead of seeing, and welcoming, huge steps forward that made, a part of the left sees the situation in South Africa as wracked by a disastrous crisis of misleadership.
According to Socialist Worker, for example, the resistance to apartheid is now disastrously divided into dead end currents 'workerists' and the 'populists'.
Thus for example Socialist Worker for 28 June declared: 'In the unions people have been broadly split into two groups, the "workerists" and the "populists". : It argues that the populists have managed to zain ine ascendancy in the unions Socialist Worker makes it clear that it regards the 'populists' being supporters the ANC. These populists are allegedly leading movement to disaster because they believe: 'the movement can win by pressunsilg une stale inlo negotiations.' (Socialist Worker 19 June) Attack Socialist Organiser launched an even more vimenl attack on tne politics of COSATU claiming in its 19 June issue: "The situation right now 1s starting to look like a repeat of the fifties when the non-racial trade union federation, the South African Congress of Trade Unions, was used as a stage army by the populist leadership of the ANC.
This question is of decisive importance. COSATU is today playing a more and more dominant role South African politics. Together with the ANC it is one of the two most powerful organisations in the struggle against apatheid.
If the leadership of COSATU has now succumbed to 'populism', and its only opponents dead 'workerists' then the political situation is very grave.
But that then raises another question. Is the backwardness in the situation really that of the policial currents in South Africa? Or is it the politics of those who make such analyses in Britian? To answer that it is necessary to look development politics of COSATU.
An excellent starting point is the speech made by Joe Foster, general secretary of the Federation of South African Trades Unions (FOSATU), in April 1982. This is undoubtedly one of the most important speeches made by a South African Trade Union Icauti.l was moorian nOtnoly because it. adopted as policy by FOSATU, and widely circulated internationally, including through the book Power, but because the being the endence had not yet been wedded to a correct understanding of the strategy the thinking of the currents coming the destruction of apartheid involves more than just securing political liberwould be. He states. Justice for us i not simply a beautiful phrase. it also justice, and political justice. It means