By Thapelo Molefe
uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party deputy president Tony Yengeni has called on left-wing political parties and organisations to unite and work together to take political power in South Africa.
Speaking at the Conference of the Left in Boksburg, Yengeni said the three-day gathering should create a strong and united platform that can challenge for government and bring economic change for the black majority.
“The reason that we are here is assuming political power, so that we can use that political power to liberate our people,” Yengeni said.
He said the conference should establish a “Left Revolutionary Council” to lead the work of the left platform and ensure that decisions taken by the conference are implemented.
“The first order of business in this conference should and must be to ensure that this Left Conference emerges as a solid, powerful, and united Left platform,” he said.
Yengeni said MK Party fully supported efforts to build unity among progressive organisations and was committed to working with other groups to strengthen cooperation.
He told delegates that the conference carried the responsibility of uniting the black majority and continuing the goals of the liberation struggle.
Yengeni said one of the key demands of the proposed left front should be the return of land to its “rightful owners” and economic freedom for black South Africans.
“The black majority must own the banks, the mines, the farms, and the factories,” he said.
He said that South Africa’s economy was still controlled by a small minority while many black South Africans remained poor and excluded from economic opportunities.
Yengeni also called for major changes to state institutions, saying government structures should serve the interests of ordinary people.
He said Parliament should become the highest decision-making body in the country and that all state institutions should be accountable to the people.
“All state organs, without exception, must be restructured to serve the people.”
He said fighting crime and corruption should be a priority and that nobody should be above the law.
“All must be equal before the law. The law must serve all people equally. No one and no one, no matter how high in status, must be above the law,” Yengeni said.
He also called for stronger economic ties across Africa and greater unity among African countries.
He said the proposed left front should focus on the needs of workers, unemployed people, rural communities, women and young people.
Yengeni also pointed to China as an example of how a strong state can drive economic development, industrial growth and poverty reduction.
He said South Africa could learn from some aspects of China’s development model while adapting them to local conditions.
He further proposed that the conference honour liberation struggle heroes and heroines by dedicating the gathering to their memory and considering the construction of a monument in their honour.
“The reason why we are here today is because the people before us, or with us, laid their lives down for the liberation of our people,” he said.
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