All Rights Reserved▋LEGACY OF COMMUNISM. It has been said that, "Socialism is that political system that spends the money that capitalism produces." In South Africa we certainly have the unique system where we are saddled with a political party that preaches 'democratic socialism' while its political leaders are living their capitalist dreams on cattle and game farms, or in luxury, taxpayer-sponsored mansions in Bryntirion Estate with its 9-hole presidential *golf course
and 15 *tennis courts.
*Golf & Tennis are both 'colonialism-imported' sports.
Be that as it may, the legacy of communism makes for harrowing reading. Mass killings under communism were reportedly as follows:
▶ R.J. Rummel. 110 million ‘people, foreign & domestic, killed by communist democide’ from 1900-1987 [‘Death by Government’ by R.J. Rummel, R.J., 1994].
▶ Jung Chang & Jon Halliday. 148 million (38 million famine deaths) ‘by communist democide between 1900-1999’ [‘The Great Chinese Famine’, Jung Chang & Jon Halliday].
▶ Stephane Courtois. 100 million, ‘rough approximation’ (‘between 85-100 million’) [‘Black Book of Communism’, Stephane Courtois, 1999).
▶ Benjamin Valentino. 21-70 million ‘non-combatants in People’s Republic of China & Cambodia’ [Benjamin Valentino, 2005].
▶ Steven Rosefilede. 60 million, ‘perhaps tens of millions more’ [‘Red Holocaust’, Steven Rosefielde, 2010].
▶ Matthew White. 70 million ‘from execution, labor camps, famine, ethnic cleansing and desperate flight in leaky boats’, not counting those killed in wars [Matthew White, 2011].
▶ Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. Overall range 'from 42 870 000 to 161 990 000 with 100 million the most commonly cited figure’ [Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, 2016].
▶ Porf. Kot-Kin. ‘At least 65 million between 1917 and 2017’ . [Prof. Kot-kin, ‘The Wall Street Journal’, 2017; [Wikipedia, ‘Mass Killings Under Communism’. Online 2020].
▶ R.J. Rummel. 110 million ‘people, foreign & domestic, killed by communist democide’ from 1900-1987 [‘Death by Government’ by R.J. Rummel, R.J., 1994].
▶ Jung Chang & Jon Halliday. 148 million (38 million famine deaths) ‘by communist democide between 1900-1999’ [‘The Great Chinese Famine’, Jung Chang & Jon Halliday].
▶ Stephane Courtois. 100 million, ‘rough approximation’ (‘between 85-100 million’) [‘Black Book of Communism’, Stephane Courtois, 1999).
▶ Benjamin Valentino. 21-70 million ‘non-combatants in People’s Republic of China & Cambodia’ [Benjamin Valentino, 2005].
▶ Steven Rosefilede. 60 million, ‘perhaps tens of millions more’ [‘Red Holocaust’, Steven Rosefielde, 2010].
▶ Matthew White. 70 million ‘from execution, labor camps, famine, ethnic cleansing and desperate flight in leaky boats’, not counting those killed in wars [Matthew White, 2011].
▶ Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. Overall range 'from 42 870 000 to 161 990 000 with 100 million the most commonly cited figure’ [Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, 2016].
▶ Porf. Kot-Kin. ‘At least 65 million between 1917 and 2017’ . [Prof. Kot-kin, ‘The Wall Street Journal’, 2017; [Wikipedia, ‘Mass Killings Under Communism’. Online 2020].
▋RSA: THE ‘TRIPARTITE ALLIANCE’. In South Africa, the ruling, cadre-deploying ‘Tripartite Alliance’ (comprising the ANC, the SACP and COSATU) is committed as follows:
▶ ANC. “The ANC holds a historic alliance with the South African Communist Party (SACP) and Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU),known as the Tripartite Alliance. The SACP and COSATU have not contested any election in South Africa, but field candidates through the ANC, hold senior positions in the ANC, and influence party policy and dialogue.” [Wikipedia, ‘African National Congress’].
In a speech by the RSA president to the 15th National Congress of the South African Communist Party on 15 July 2022, Mr. Ramaphosa has affirmed the ANC’s commitment to socialism: “As a movement, we fully support the determination of the SACP to build a powerful socialist movement of workers and the poor.”
▶ ANC. “The ANC holds a historic alliance with the South African Communist Party (SACP) and Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU),known as the Tripartite Alliance. The SACP and COSATU have not contested any election in South Africa, but field candidates through the ANC, hold senior positions in the ANC, and influence party policy and dialogue.” [Wikipedia, ‘African National Congress’].
In a speech by the RSA president to the 15th National Congress of the South African Communist Party on 15 July 2022, Mr. Ramaphosa has affirmed the ANC’s commitment to socialism: “As a movement, we fully support the determination of the SACP to build a powerful socialist movement of workers and the poor.”
[SABC/YouTube].
▶ SACP. It is clear from the ‘SACP Manifesto’ that the SACP stands for the hybrid model of (so-called) ‘democratic socialism’ ('Socialism' in a transparent democratic coat that still will not and cannot hide the original socialism):
“Democratic socialism will give every individual the right to own and to dispose all non-exploitative private property. The model of socialism that we develop in a future South Africa will be our own South African model, evolved from our own conditions …”
▶ SACP. It is clear from the ‘SACP Manifesto’ that the SACP stands for the hybrid model of (so-called) ‘democratic socialism’ ('Socialism' in a transparent democratic coat that still will not and cannot hide the original socialism):
“Democratic socialism will give every individual the right to own and to dispose all non-exploitative private property. The model of socialism that we develop in a future South Africa will be our own South African model, evolved from our own conditions …”
[SACP Manifesto].
▶ COSATU. The Congress of South African Trade Unions supports, in tandem, the ANC and SACP’s quest for ‘socialism’ or ‘democratic socialism’ and other political aspirations: “The SACP and COSATU have not contested any election in South Africa, but field candidates through the ANC, hold senior positions in the ANC, and influence party policy and dialogue.” [Wikipedia, ‘African National Congress’].
▶ COSATU. The Congress of South African Trade Unions supports, in tandem, the ANC and SACP’s quest for ‘socialism’ or ‘democratic socialism’ and other political aspirations: “The SACP and COSATU have not contested any election in South Africa, but field candidates through the ANC, hold senior positions in the ANC, and influence party policy and dialogue.” [Wikipedia, ‘African National Congress’].
▋THE TRIPARTITE ALLIANCE & STOCKHOLM SYNDROME. ‘Stockholm Syndrome’ is described as ‘a coping mechanism to a captive or abusive situation.’ In other words, people get so used to being bullied and told what to do by their rulers and/or masters, for instance, in a long-term hostage situation, that they actually learn to like and obey their abusers.
This explains how South Africans have allowed themselves to be ruled for years by a corrupt, cadre deployment driven government and still vote the same abusive political party into power election after election in terms of the philosophy of, "Better the devil we know than the devil we don’t know!", a typical 3rd World, Banana Republic political standard driven by the kind of political desperation that will hold onto political power at any cost never mind how the absurd the desperate measure of the equally desperate cat.
Although there is an understandable pushback against the ‘legacy of colonialism’ all over South Africa, citizens strangely do not push back against imported colonialist sports like soccer, rugby, tennis, golf and cricket as promoted by colonialism-driven organisations like FIFA and SAFA; or, even against technology and the myriad of other ‘colonialist’ inventions, comforts, conveniences, products and services (e.g., science, scientific instruments, universities, colleges, books, encyclopedias, computers, iPads, Kindles,the Internet, YouTube, cellphones, GPS, hospitals, medicines, vaccines, antiretrovirals, schools, roads, clinics, radio, television, DStv, modern houses, cars, trains, taxis, airplanes, drones, telescopes, modern & classical music etc.) while political leaders still doggedly follow those colonialist ideologues like Karl Marx, Leon Trotsky and Friedrich Engels responsible for the dysfunctional, destructive worldviews of communism & socialism.✋
Although there is an understandable pushback against the ‘legacy of colonialism’ all over South Africa, citizens strangely do not push back against imported colonialist sports like soccer, rugby, tennis, golf and cricket as promoted by colonialism-driven organisations like FIFA and SAFA; or, even against technology and the myriad of other ‘colonialist’ inventions, comforts, conveniences, products and services (e.g., science, scientific instruments, universities, colleges, books, encyclopedias, computers, iPads, Kindles,the Internet, YouTube, cellphones, GPS, hospitals, medicines, vaccines, antiretrovirals, schools, roads, clinics, radio, television, DStv, modern houses, cars, trains, taxis, airplanes, drones, telescopes, modern & classical music etc.) while political leaders still doggedly follow those colonialist ideologues like Karl Marx, Leon Trotsky and Friedrich Engels responsible for the dysfunctional, destructive worldviews of communism & socialism.✋
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