Preliminary Correspondence

I am, Yours for a speedy revolution.
T.W. Thibedi
Secretary, Communist Party of Africa
26 April 1932

For the Communist League of America
Arne Swabeck
30 May 1932

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T.W. Thibedi
To Leon Trotsky

Dear Comrade Trotsky

I hope that by the time you receive this letter from me you shall have seen a letter I send to the Communist League of America Opposition. Quite a lot has happened in the Communist Party of South Africa, private meetings are still continuing, expelled Stalinists and those still in the party are forming a common front in killing off the Communist League of Africa instead of specialising in fighting against the true enemy of the oppressed people of Africa viz Capitalists they waist [sic – waste] time in fighting the most revolutionary (the left opposition) in trying to bluff the left opposition they tell us that Trotsky is an outcast and that the left opposition only exists in America and nowhere else and yet if one reads the Militant regularly would see through the tactics of the Stalinist worshippers in the Communist Party of South Africa. They tell us that the Left Oppositionists are lazy individuals who only sit down in their office criticising the leadership of the Communist International, that the left opposition is going to help the capitalists when the next war against the USSR is made by the Capitalists. They consider the Militant a very dangerous paper to be read by the negro workers of Africa in particular. But all these negro workers who has been reading the Militant do not want to part with the same, I hope that by next year we shall be able to start the paper to be written in the languages spoken by the South African negroes, by this I mean a paper for the spreading the views of the left opposition in South Africa. We need a lot of articles on the conditions in South Africa to appear in the Militant. We are busy organising the negro trade unions and we are already considering forming ‘Artuo’ (African Red Trade Union Oppositions) and for the Communist League of Africa (Left Opposition). We have already taken an office at 9 Berea Street, City and Suburban, Johannesburg from where these trade unions are being organised. We received few pamphlets from comrade T. Stamm of the Communist League of America these we keep in our office for those comrades who cannot afford to buy to read at our office we need plenty more literature of the Left Opposition because the Stalinist bureaucrats has for some years been hiding such literature to be known by the African Negro workers, I must thank Comrade Victor Danchin who helped to get some of the left opposition translated for me from the Russian left oppositionliterature, because today I can a lot in seeing some negro workers to understand the unpardonable mistakes which are purposely being com-mitted by the Stalinist bureaucrats who govern the Communist Party of South Africa.

Perhaps this shall interest the members of the Left Opposition to hear that there is a great selfishness that is being done by the Stalinists in South Africa, viz students from negro comrades who have proved themselves absolutely loyal to the instructions from boss Stalin are now being [sent] for their education from Moscow but all those who have tryed [sic] to argue are being expelled from the CPSA and are being left out not to be given a chance to go and learn but the left opposition in South Africa is quite alive to these manoeuvrings of the Stalinists when these students return shall fight bitterly against the Left Opposition of South Africa again these creatures refuse us to buy and read the official organ of the ECCI. I think they are afraid we shall compare it with the Militant.

I joined the revolutionary movement in 1916 and since that time I have been on its EC and for many years the only negro comrade, from 1928 we organised the following trade unions: Laundry Workers Union, Clothing Workers Union, Furniture Workers, Metal Workers, Meat and Cold Storage Workers, Canvas and Rope Workers, Transport Workers, Chemical Workers, International and Working Women Mechanic and Motor Drivers Union, etc, etc. I also formed the following branches of the Communist Party of South Africa: Pretoria, Potchfestroom, Evaton, Vereeniging, Paardekop, Bloemfontein, and at Ndabeni Location (Cape Town). We formed the Federation of Trade Unions in October 1928 but today there is no longer any single Trade Union under the control of the Party. Almost all the branches are now dead are purposely left to die by the Stalin bureaucrats of the Communist Party of South Africa and yet if people reads the official organ Umsebenzi would think that these bureaucrats are doing a splendid job for the revolutionary movement in South Africa. If Joseph Stalin did not know that he was being told lies about the conditions in South Africa left [sic – let] him hear it from the Militant he should also try to fined [sic – find] out why the negroes are living [sic – leaving] the party apart from those who are expelled. They are turning the Official paper of the Party into a lying organ for no-one would believe being in South Africa Umsebenzi. Since the beginning of this year a long prayer has been drawn up by Comrade S.P. Bunting, and signed by Comrade Gana Makabeni, Simon Mafisa, Willie B. Twayl and B. Dan Madiseng all negro comrades some do not know the contents of that prayer to Boss Stalin requesting him to be merciful and reinstate them into the Communist Party of South Africa, I personally was refused admittance the day when that prayer was finally read to be send these immediately created suspicion for I should have been left to hear what it was for I am alone an expelled member of the party. So far no reply has been received to that prayer, the drawer of these long prayers is not prepared to join the Left Opposition and yet those who signed have no objection to joining the Left Opposition.

We received a letter from comrade Vitte [Witte] of the International Secretariate of the Left Opposition but he did not give his address I can’t reply to him direct. Please tell him I do not read German or French but read English, Dutch, Zulu, Sesutu, Chiswina, Shangaan, Venda, Xhosa and various other negro languages.

There is a note in French added to the letter, perhaps in Trotsky’s handwriting: Que est Danschin? (Who is Danschin?)

Leon Trotsky
To TW Thibedi

Dear Comrade Thibedi

Thank you very much for your communication which I am transmitting to Comrade Witte.

It would be a very great step forward if we could establish an organ in the negro language. I suppose that the material hindrances would be great in this time of deep crisis. Are many negro comrades unemployed in Johannesburg and in South Africa in general?

The Stalinists state that the Left Opposition is almost non-existent. The information is not correct. It is true that we are only at the beginning of our great educational and organisational war, but our progress in the last year is very satisfactory in many of the European countries, and we can hope that the comrades who work in the double persecution of the bourgeois state and Stalinist bureaucracy will become steeled into good revolutionaries. Discipline is necessary, but discipline alone is sufficient for a capitalist army, not for a revolutionary party. We are far from exaggerating our forces. The revolutionary movement must remain very honest in the estimation of its own power: it is the only way to win the confidence of the workers.

Have you among your comrades, workers and students, and what is the proportion of the one to the other?

Have you any connections with negroes in America? I hope that the hour is near when the great awakening of the exploited negro masses will give rise to good Marxists and theoreticians from among their ranks. My Communist greetings and best wishes for the success of your work.

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Joe Pick
To the International Secretariat

Dear Comrade

There are some comrades here who were recently expelled by the Stalinists from the Party, and who are followers of the platform of the Left Opposition, comrades who have helped in the formation of the Communist Party here, and stood in the forefront of the party since its formation. Some of us are taking leading parts in the trade union movement. We have therefore decided to get in touch with you for the purpose of forming here a section of the Left Opposition and to be attached to the International Secretariat. We have written to Communist League of America and they gave us this address. We would be very pleased if you would let us know the conditions of affiliation to the International Secretariat.

You must realise that we are only small groups at present, as the party in general is very small in South Africa. We are sure however that we will be able to form very active groups of comrades who are at present scattered all over the country and who are willing as in the past [to] carry the banner of Communism as outlined by Marx, Lenin and Trotsky.

We would be pleased if you would send us a few copies of your organ The Permanent Revolution.

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Workers Party of South Africa
To the International Secretariat

Dear Comrades

We have received the letter of Comrade Dubois, dated 12 October, and we have considered it with great attention both here and in Johannesburg. After full deliberation, we have come to the decision that we must reject Comrade Dubois’ proposal for unity between the Workers Party and the Communist League.

It will help you to understand the position here if we say a few words about it. Both the Workers Party and the Communist League are small groups. This is undeniable. But there is an important difference between them. When we were together in one organisation, we could not work. All our energies went in trying to hammer into the heads of individuals what we knew to be the correct line. It was in the course of this struggle that the principal differences on all the most fundamental questions became clear. Now, as a separate group, we are able to work, we are able to face outwards towards the workers instead of facing inwards among ourselves.

The war question was one of the real principled differences between us. It still is. In our articles in our Spark we made clear our position on the war question. On 6 October we issued 4000 leaflets on the Italo-Abyssinian Conflict. If you will study this leaflet you will see that it is a clear exposition of our international line on the war. The leaflet was drafted and issued before we had received any materials from the IS [International Secretariat] or any of the sections. You will notice that this leaflet attacks the SA Labour Party and trade union bureaucracy which take up a position similar to that of the British Labour Party and the TUC. The SA Labour Party has pledged itself to support the government. This is to be expected. What is not to be expected is that the Communist League opens the pages of its organ, the Workers Voice, to one of the leading members of the SA Labour Party. We are sending you a copy of the Workers Voice and of The Spark.

It is because of the immediate tasks, because of all our tasks, that we cannot entertain the idea of uniting with the Communist League. We know that this group is doomed. Some of its members will go to the SA Labour Party where they belong. Others will go to the Stalinists. Although we are small we feel that we have a future and that while they are also small, they have no future. To unite with them will mean an end to all real work.