We gather today, 6 January 2026, to honour 31 years since the passing of Comrade Joe Slovo — a revolutionary communist, a cadre of the working class, and a leader who never separated ideas or principles from action.
We do so 32 years into our democracy, not to romanticise the past, but to confront the present — and to shape the future.
Joe Slovo reminded us that liberation is a process, not an event. He warned us plainly that:
“Political democracy, if it is not accompanied by economic democracy, will always be shallow and incomplete.”
Comrades,
Those words speak directly to our reality today.
Thirty-two years into democracy, capital still dominates the economy, ownership remains racially and class skewed, and the working class continues to be shacked by unemployment, poverty, inequality, and insecurity. Millions remain excluded from decent work. Young people are denied a future. Women continue to carry the double burden of exploitation and care.
This is not accidental. It is the outcome of structural capitalism, reinforced by neoliberal policy choices that weaken the state, privatise public goods, commodify basic services and place profit above the public.
Joe Slovo warned us against this path. He told us:
“If the state retreats from its responsibilities, the vacuum will be filled by private power — and private power is accountable only to profit.”
That is exactly what we see today.
Comrades,
Nowhere is this crisis more visible than in local government. Municipalities — meant to be the engine of development — have become symbols of failure. Corruption, cadre erosion, outsourcing, and administrative collapse have left communities without water, electricity, sanitation, or dignity.
As we approach local government elections, we must be honest with ourselves and with the people. Electoral support cannot be demanded — it must be earned through delivery, accountability, and principled leadership.
This brings us to the state of the Alliance.
The Alliance was forged in struggle — not as an electoral pact, but as a strategic centre of working-class power. Yet today, it is weakened by drift, hesitation, and the marginalisation of working-class voices in decision-making.
Joe Slovo cautioned us against abandoning principle for convenience. He insisted that:
“Unity without a clear programme and class content is fragile — and easily captured by opportunism.”
Comrades,
The Alliance must not exist only during elections. It must exist in struggle, in communities, in workplaces, and in policy battles. Where the Alliance retreats, reactionary forces advance. Where ideology weakens, populism and corruption thrive.
And let us be clear:
The unity of the working class does not fall from the sky. It must be organised, educated, and led.
Joe Slovo was uncompromising on this point. He said:
“Socialism will not come by default. It will only come through conscious organisation and struggle.”
That is our task today.
Leadership as we meet only six days into the New Year, the world has already been plunged into geopolitical turmoil of the kind that if allowed to continue can threaten the lives and livelihoods of millions across the world, but in particular in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
We have been shocked by the brazen military attack on the peaceful people of Venezuela and the kidnapping of its President, Nicolás Maduro. We cannot return to the days of the Wild West where might is right and the sovereign choices of the world are trampled upon.
We welcome the principled call of the South African government for the United Nations to be seized with such matters and for all geopolitical and other disputes to be resolved in the appropriate multi-lateral institutions and in a manner that promotes peace not war, that respects and affirms the sovereign and democratic choices of all nations.
Such moments call for cool heads guided by the principles of working class and international solidarity.
Comrades,
The working class needs a strong Communist Party — rooted in Marxism-Leninism, responsive to material conditions, and fearless in confronting both capital and internal decay.
We need unions that organise the unorganised, politicise economic struggles, and defend worker unity across sectors. We need mass organisations that link daily struggles to a socialist horizon.
So, what is to be done in honour of Joe Slovo?
We must remember Joe Slovo was a leader of the SACP and the ANC. He was the living embodiment of the unity of the Alliance.
First — rebuild the Alliance as a strategic centre of power, where working-class interests lead, not follow.
This is a our fundamental task as the leadership collective of the African National Congress, the South African Communist Party, COSATU and SANCO. We have allowed our narrow differences, our own goals, our egos and feelings to guide us for far too long.
This leadership of the Alliance must now meet as a matter of the highest urgency before January is over, and we scurry off to deal with our many pressing demands. We must convene the Alliance Political Council as agreed by all Alliance Partners. We must resolve on the reconfiguration of the Alliance, including the modalities of our election campaigns for the pending local elections, and fundamentally to ensure the Alliance is united.
We dare not fail on such a fundamental task.
Second — re-centre the state as a developmental instrument, capable of planning, owning, and delivering in the public interest.
Third — advance a radical economic programme: industrialisation, public ownership in strategic sectors, job creation, and expanded public services.
Fourth — restore ethical, capable local government, with consequences for corruption and incompetence.
Fifth — invest decisively in political education, cadre development, and revolutionary discipline.
Comrades,
Joe Slovo taught us that communists must be honest with the people, firm in principle, and bold in action. He rejected cynicism. He rejected surrender. He believed that the working class, once organised and conscious, is an unstoppable force.
To honour Joe Slovo is not to quote him only — it is to continue his struggle.
To organise where despair is growing.
To educate where confusion reigns.
To lead where the working class demands direction.
Forward to working-class unity!
Forward to socialism!
Forward in the revolutionary spirit of Joe Slovo!
