PRAGOTI

17 August 2008, Johannesburg, South Africa

Declaration of the African Left Network Meeting: Johannesburg Platform

We delegates of the Africa Left Network meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa appreciatively convened by both the South African Communist Party and the Sudanese Communist Party with the help of the Left Party of Sweden.

We noted that we are meeting at a time when the tide of capitalist imperialism is squeezing the working class of the continent and throttling their livelihoods and denying them basic human rights, democratic economic participation, universal suffrage, sustainable livelihoods and living in constant fear of coup de dat and military dictatorships that continues to threaten the space for democratic participation.

We noted that whilst the majority of the African people live below one USA dollar a day, in Europe a cow lives at a cost of US$25.00 a day. Europe has proportionate responsibility for the impoverishment of the African continent and its people. To date Europe still want to impoverish the continent through the Economic Partnership Trade Agreements and agricultural subsidies tying the continent to perpetual economic reliance to European aid and its slave remittances.

We also noted the dispersed communist and left movement on the continent with a minute section remaining within the independence movement also beginning to be gradually marginalized and affirmed to begin a process to revive the left movement across the spectrum of the African life.

The communists and all the left forces are called upon to the frontline to combat privatization of state owned enterprises and the neo-liberal policies pursued by many African governments. We re-affirm the need for unity of the left and progressive forces to work together, share experiences, provide progressive solidarity with one another and with each other to combat the capitalist system.

The USA imperialism is gaining ground on the continent with the establishment of the Africa command to continue its imperial vagaries of plundering African resources in particular the oil and other mineral resources.

We therefore use this Johannesburg platform to state and resolve on the following:

a) The immediate development of an African Left Network Information Centre through a debating forum and an Internet site to be hosted by the South African Communist Party. The SACP is further encouraged to establish this centre at its immediate convenience to harness the work of the left movement on the African continent.

b) To develop a database of all progressive and left organisations, workers movement and trade unions, political parties with contacts details and country specific.

c) Importance of the initiations of a left network involving all left and the progressive forces whose main objective is to establish a viable communist presence, organisation and leadership across the African continent and consolidate the vanguard left movement.

d) Conference called for a periodic annual conference of the left network to share ideas and increase the working class ideology of Marxism –Leninism.

e) Create a forum to facilitate the possibility to take joint positions on the main problems affecting the continent.

f) Agreed to establish a secretariat to coordinate the work of the Africa Left Network Forum to ably facilitate and organise the annual meetings. These meetings can rotate across the length and breadth of the African continent to countries that can be able to host such a conference as well as to coordinate the general work of the network.

g) Conference agreed that the South African Communist Party be duly mandated to coordinate the work of the Africa Left Network Forum (ALNEF)

h) Anchor the left network forum within the mass popular struggles of the people and people to people relations and solidarity.

Like our communists predecessors said in the Communist Manifesto "The specter is haunting Europe, the specter of communism" indeed African bourgeoisie is warned the specter of communism is haunting Africa and all communist are called to the frontline to sharpen class contradiction and advance the continent to communism. Africa is ready for such a momentous struggle which requires decisive and radical left political leadership and organisation.

Further encouraged by the revolutionary tide in Latin America and the working class struggles on the African continent we remain inspired by the social revolutionary success of the communist Cuba and others and know this African destiny for communist is assured through hard work and dedication to build the communist organisation, capacity and commitment to advance to socialism.

Conference further expressed its deepest appreciation to the South African Communist Party and the Sudanese Communist Party for their sterling role by taking the initiative to convene this conference. Similar appreciation is conveyed to the joint work with the Swedish Left Party for the joint work in this regard.

All communist to the Front to build a Communist Africa!

Forward to Communism!

The following parties attended the meeting:

1. Botswana National Front

2. Communist Part of Egypt

3. Social Democratic Party – Kenya

4. Communist Party of Lesotho

5. Democratic Progressive Party – Malawi

6. United Democratic Forces – Inkingi (Rwanda)

7. South African Communist Party

8. ANC

9. Communist Party of Sudan

10. People's United Democratic Movement

11. Kabale Socialist Club – Uganda

12. Polisario Frente

13. Communist Party of Greece

14. Communist Party of Brazil

Issued by the SACP(South African Communist Party)