From the Internal Bulletin of the Workers Solidarity Federation (WSF) of South Africa, no. 1, September 1996.  The “Soldarity Centre” was in the DJ Du Plessis building on the West Campus, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. It was not, in fact, used much. There were too many other demands on time, and the WSF was soon to focus off-campus and start holding its business meetings … Continue reading WSF “Solidarity Centre” and webpage: 1996 [WSF Internal Bulletin 1]

From the Internal Bulletin of the Workers Solidarity Federation (WSF) of South Africa, no. 1, September 1996. Some typos fixed. This is clearly based heavily on an article with a similar from Workers Solidarity, the paper of the (Irish) Workers Solidarity Movement — with which WSF was very close.

Public Talk

The WSF Wits/ and Johannesburg branch arranged WSF’s first public talk on the 22 August 1996. The talk was very successful and we managed to  attract a lot of people to our discussion. Due to the success of this talk, many WSF members feel that our organisation should have talks more regularly to spread the ideas of Anarchist-  Syndicalism. The talk, which was titled “Whats “Left” : Is there an Alternative to Capitalism Today.”, has been included in the bulletin (see below).

Whats “Left”:  Is There An Alternative to Capitalism Today

CAPITALISM: A DISASTER FOR THE MAJORITY OF THE WORLD’S POPULATION
According to recent reports:
* 358 billionaires have more assets than the combined incomes of countries home
Capitalism has repeatedly failed the majority of the world’s population. According to to 45% of the world’s people
* Today the richest 20% of the world’s population gets 85% of the world’s income (30 years ago, the richest 20% only got 70% of  the world’s income)

Capitalism has failed the majority of South Africans  too:
* 120,000 mainly White commercial farmers own nearly 99% of all private farming land in South Africa;
* 5% of the population owns 88% of all personal wealth;
* 70% of the population lives below the breadline.

This is what capitalism is all about- a profit system  in which the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer. And capitalism is also the major cause of problems like racism. Capitalism in South Africa was and is built on the super- exploitation of the African working-class. As if this isn’t bad enough, the bosses’ greed is causing environmental problems on such a scale that the Earth’s very ability to sustain life is threatened.

THE CRISIS OF THE LEFT
We need an alternative to capitalism, now more than ever. But today we find a major crisis in the broad socialist movement. Since World War One. there have been two dominant ideas on how we should fight to get to socialism. Both of these have now collapsed.   Continue reading ““Whats ‘Left’? Is There An Alternative to Capitalism Today?” [22 August 1996 talk; WSF Internal Bulletin 1]”

[May 30 2014 was the 200th anniversary of the birth of Mikhail Bakunin, one of the great anarchist and syndicalist luminaries: it is only appropriate that this old article be reposted!]   THE REVOLUTIONARY TRADITION: LIBERTARIAN SOCIALISM  THE LIFE OF BAKUNIN From the Internal Bulletin of the Workers Solidarity Federation (WSF) of South Africa, no. 2, March/April 1998   Mikhail Bakunin (1814-1873) can be seen … Continue reading 1998: The Revolutionary Tradition: Life of Bakunin [WSF Internal Bulletin 2]