SAFTU

25/02/2026

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20/02/2026

SAFTU STATEMENT ON THE RELEASE OF THE Q3 2025/26 CRIME STATISTICS
20 February 2026

The South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) notes the release today of the third-quarter crime statistics (October to December 2025) by the Minister of Police. While the statistics reflect marginal declines across several major crime categories, the absolute levels of violence remain catastrophically high and reflect the deep social and economic crisis confronting the working class.

The scale of violence remains intolerable
According to the official SAPS statistics, South Africa recorded:
• 6,953 murders in just three months — an average of 76 people killed every day
• 11,481 r**es — approximately 125 r**es every day
• 7,710 attempted murders
• 49,418 cases of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm
• 42,969 residential burglaries
• 5,973 car hijackings
• 6,505 robberies at residential premises
These figures confirm that millions of working-class households continue to live under daily siege from violence, robbery, and insecurity.
Even though murder declined by 8.7%, r**e by 2.7%, and car hijackings by 4.1%, these marginal declines do not alter the fundamental reality that South Africa remains engulfed in a deep social crisis.
At the current rate, South Africa remains on course to record nearly 28,000 murders annually, placing it among the most violent societies in the world outside of active war zones.

The destruction of working-class families driven by mass unemployment
The crime crisis reflects the destruction of the economic foundations of working-class families.
According to Statistics South Africa’s latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey (Q4 2025), approximately 12.4 million people are unemployed on the expanded definition.
This means millions of families have no stable breadwinner capable of sustaining entire households and lifting families out of poverty.
Historically, working-class families depended on stable employment to provide economic security, social stability, and hope for future generations. That foundation has been systematically destroyed.
Without stable breadwinners:
• Family stability collapses
• Poverty becomes entrenched
• Social cohesion weakens
• Young people are abandoned to insecurity and hopelessness
Crime thrives in conditions of economic exclusion and social breakdown.

Teenage pregnancy reflects deepening social collapse
South Africa records approximately 100,000 births annually among teenage mothers aged 15–19, representing approximately 12% of all births nationally.
Over the past decade, more than 1.2 million children have been born to teenage mothers.
Teenage pregnancy is both a consequence and driver of poverty. It often leads to school dropout, lifetime unemployment, and intergenerational poverty.
Children are forced to raise children, reinforcing the vicious cycle of deprivation and social instability.

The education system is excluding millions — and even those who succeed are blocked from further education
Official Department of Basic Education figures show:
• 733,198 learners wrote matric in 2025
• 656,601 passed matric
• 278,814 achieved bachelor passes qualifying for university admission
Yet the post-school education system lacks capacity:
• Public universities can admit only approximately 200,000 new students annually
• TVET colleges admit approximately 300,000–350,000 students annually
This leaves at least 150,000 to 200,000 matric graduates excluded from tertiary education every year, including many who qualify academically.
These young people are pushed directly into unemployment.
The education system is not functioning as a pathway out of poverty. It is reproducing inequality.

Crime is the predictable outcome of structural economic exclusion
Crime cannot be separated from the structure of the South African economy.
A society that excludes 12.4 million people from employment, sidelines hundreds of thousands of youth from education annually, and concentrates wealth in the hands of a small elite cannot avoid social breakdown.
Crime is a symptom of systemic economic failure.

SAFTU’s central demand: fundamental restructuring of the economy to meet human needs and create jobs
SAFTU reiterates its core demand, as articulated in its Section 77 campaign, that the South African economy must be fundamentally overhauled so that it is based on meeting the basic needs of the population, foremost among these is the right to decent work.
The current economic structure remains dominated by:
• Extractivism based on exporting raw minerals without beneficiation
• Financialisation, where banks and financial institutions extract wealth without creating productive employment
• The mineral-energy complex, including mining and heavy chemicals, which generates enormous profits but limited jobs
• Monopoly control by a small number of corporations
This structure concentrates wealth while excluding millions from productive participation.

SAFTU demands structural transformation of the economy
End extractivism and beneficiate South Africa’s mineral wealth
South Africa must stop exporting raw minerals and instead beneficiate its resources locally to create jobs through industrial development and manufacturing.

Industrialise and localise production
South Africa must rebuild its productive sectors through industrialisation, localisation, and expansion of manufacturing to create millions of jobs.
The economy must shift away from financial speculation and raw exports toward productive sectors.

Redistribute wealth through transformation of fiscal and monetary policy
South Africa’s extreme inequality must be addressed through redistribution of wealth from the rich to the poor, including:
• Progressive taxation
• Ending illicit financial flows and tax avoidance
• Redirecting public investment toward productive sectors
• Monetary policy that supports employment and industrialisation
Public policy must serve human development, not financial markets.

Build an economy based on human needs, not profit
The central objective of economic policy must be to meet the basic needs of the population, including:
• Decent work
• Education
• Healthcare
• Housing
• Social protection
Everything else flows from this objective.

Conclusion
These crime statistics reflect not only a policing crisis but a profound economic and social crisis rooted in mass unemployment, education exclusion, inequality, and the structural design of the economy itself.
South Africa cannot police its way out of conditions created by an economic system that excludes millions.
Until the economy is fundamentally restructured to serve human needs, create jobs, and redistribute wealth, crime will remain deeply embedded in our society.
The fight against crime is inseparable from the struggle to transform the economy.

19/02/2026

SAFTU message of solidarity to the family of Zweli Mkhize, a leader of Abahlali Basemjondolo, brutally murdered by extortionists

19/02/2026

17/02/2026

Rest in peace, Reverend Jesse Jackson.

He never said South Africa was too far away or that our struggle had nothing to do with the people of the United States. He stood firmly with us, mobilising millions to isolate the racist apartheid regime and calling for sanctions, boycotts, and global solidarity until apartheid fell.

It is therefore deeply disappointing that some South Africans today, the very beneficiaries of that international solidarity now claim that the suffering of Palestine, Cuba, Venezuela, the DRC, or Sudan is “too far away” to concern us.

Our freedom was made possible because others refused to be indifferent. We dishonour that legacy when we do the same.

17/02/2026

MEDIA STATEMENT
17 FEBRUARY 2026

SAFTU MOURNS THE PASSING OF REVEREND JESSE JACKSON: A GIANT OF THE GLOBAL WORKING-CLASS AND ANTI-APARTHEID STRUGGLE

The South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) mourns with deep sorrow the passing of Reverend Jesse Jackson, one of the most courageous and consistent fighters for the liberation of the working class, Black people, and all oppressed humanity.

His passing marks the departure of a towering figure whose life was defined by uncompromising struggle against racism, capitalism, imperialism, and apartheid.
Jesse Jackson belonged to that historic generation of leaders who understood that racism was not an accident, but a structural pillar of capitalism, used to divide and super-exploit the working class.

A LEADER OF THE BLACK WORKING CLASS IN THE UNITED STATES

Reverend Jackson emerged from the furnace of the US Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, working alongside Dr Martin Luther King Jr and millions of ordinary workers, domestic workers, farm workers, and the unemployed who rose against racial oppression.

He played a decisive role in the great mass struggles that dismantled legal segregation, expanded voting rights, and exposed the brutality of American capitalism.
But unlike many who became absorbed into the political establishment, Jackson remained rooted in the struggles of the poor and working class.

Through Operation PUSH and later the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, he organised workers and oppressed communities to demand:
• Jobs and economic justice
• Workers’ rights and unionisation
• Corporate accountability
• Access to education and healthcare
• Economic redistribution
He recognised that political democracy without economic democracy was incomplete and fragile.

A CONSISTENT AND COURAGEOUS OPPONENT OF APARTHEID

At a time when the United States government and Western powers continued to collaborate with and protect the apartheid regime, Jesse Jackson stood firmly on the side of the oppressed majority in South Africa.

He was among the most prominent voices in the United States calling for:
• Comprehensive economic sanctions against apartheid South Africa
• The isolation of the racist regime internationally
• Support for the African National Congress and liberation movements
• The release of Nelson Mandela and all political prisoners

He mobilised millions of people in the United States and internationally to demand the end of apartheid. His activism helped build the global pressure that eventually forced the apartheid regime into retreat.

The South African working class and liberation movement will never forget his principled solidarity during our darkest hours.

A FIGHTER AGAINST IMPERIALISM AND GLOBAL INJUSTICE

Reverend Jackson understood that the oppression of Black workers in the United States was inseparable from the oppression of workers in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.

He opposed wars of imperial domination and consistently called for international solidarity between oppressed peoples.
He recognised that multinational corporations and financial elites accumulated wealth through the exploitation of workers globally.
His life embodied the principle that the working class has no borders, and that solidarity across nations is essential for liberation.

GIVING POLITICAL VOICE TO THE POOR AND WORKING CLASS

His historic presidential campaigns in 1984 and 1988 broke barriers and transformed American politics.
He used his campaigns not for personal ambition, but as platforms to advance the demands of the working class, including:
• Full employment
• Universal healthcare
• Free and quality education
• Workers’ rights
• Racial and economic justice
He gave hope and political voice to millions who had been excluded from political power.

LESSONS FOR THE WORKING CLASS TODAY

Reverend Jesse Jackson’s life teaches us that:
• The working class must organise independently to defend its interests.
• Racism and capitalism are interconnected systems of oppression.
• International solidarity is essential to defeat injustice.
• Courageous leadership must stand against powerful interests.
At a time when neoliberal austerity continues to devastate workers in South Africa and globally, his example remains profoundly relevant.

SAFTU’S TRIBUTE
SAFTU dips its revolutionary banner in honour of Reverend Jesse Jackson.
He was not merely a civil rights leader. He was a leader of the working class and oppressed humanity.

He stood with South Africa when many powerful governments stood with apartheid.
His legacy lives on in every worker who fights exploitation, in every union that defends workers’ rights, and in every struggle for justice.

SAFTU conveys its deepest condolences to his family, comrades, and the working class of the United States and the world.
The most fitting tribute we can pay is to continue the struggle for a society free from exploitation, racism, and inequality.
An injury to one is an injury to all.

Issued on behalf of the SAFTU General Secretary Zwelinzima Vavi.

For Media inquiries contact, the National Spokesperson at
Newton Masuku
Newtonm@saftu.org.za
0661682157

Media Officer
Asive Dyani
0719019564

17/02/2026

MEDIA STATEMENT
17 FEBRUARY 2016

42.1% EXCLUDED FROM EMPLOYMENT CONFIRMS ECONOMIC CATASTROPHE. GOVERNMENT’S NEOLIBERAL POLICIES HAVE FAILED AND ARE DESTROYING MANUFACTURING WHILE CREATING PRECARIOUS WORKING POVERTY

The South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) notes the release of Statistics South Africa’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) for October-December 2025. The figures confirm beyond any doubt that South Africa faces a structural economic catastrophe, and that the government’s neoliberal economic policies have dismally failed.

The report confirms that the combined unemployment and potential labour force rate stands at 42.1%. This means nearly half of the working-age population is excluded from employment.

More than 4.6 million people have been completely pushed out of the labour market, they are discouraged work seekers or marginalised workers who have given up looking for work because there are simply no jobs available. This figure alone exposes the scale of economic collapse. Yet President Cyril Ramaphosacontinues to speak of “green shoots.” There are no green shoots for the working class. There is only economic devastation.

Manufacturing is collapsing: the backbone of the economy is being destroyed

The most devastating reality revealed by the report is the continued destruction of manufacturing jobs. In the last quarter of 2025 alone, the manufacturing sector lost 61,000 jobs. Manufacturing is the backbone of any industrial economy.

Manufacturing jobs provide:
• Stable, permanent employment
• Pension security
• Medical aid
• Skills development
• Economic stability for working-class families

Their destruction represents the destruction of the productive economy itself. South Africa is rapidly deindustrialising. This is visible in the closure and collapse of key industrial employers. ArcelorMittal has shut down steel production capacity. British American To***co South Africa is closing manufacturing operations while maintaining imports and distribution. Tongaat Hulett is collapsing, threatening thousands of jobs in sugar production. Goodyear and Bridgestone have closed tyre manufacturing plants.

In each case, production stops, workers lose jobs, but imports and distribution Continue. South Africa produces less. South Africa imports more. This is the deliberate warehousing of the economy.

Jobs being created are precarious and entrench the working poor

The jobs being created are not replacing the stable industrial jobs that are being lost.
They are concentrated in sectors characterised by:
• Temporary contracts
• Labour broking
• Informal employment
• No pensions
• No medical aid
• No job security

This is creating a permanent class of the working poor.Workers may technically be employed, but they remain trapped in poverty. They cannot build wealth. They cannot retire with dignity.

They cannot escape economic insecurity. Government is not solving unemployment. It is replacing stable jobs withprecarious survival.

The Government has entrenched extractivisminstead of building local industries

The Government has entrenched the colonial economic structure of extractivism. South Africa continues to export raw minerals instead of beneficiated products. South Africa exports agricultural products instead of building agro-processing industries. South Africa exports timber from Mpumalanga and imports finished furniture made from its own wood. This represents a catastrophic loss of industrial and employment opportunities. Instead of building furniture factories, food processing plants, and beneficiation industries, government has allowed value addition to occur overseas. South Africa produces raw materials. Other countries create the jobs. This iseconomic regression.


Fiscal policy has redistributed wealth from workers to corporations

The Government has reduced corporate income tax from 52% in 1992 to just 26% today. This represents a massive transfer of wealth to corporations. These tax cuts have cost the country billions of rand, money that could have been used to industrialise the economy and create jobs. At the same time, government allowed major corporations such as Anglo American, SABMiller, Old Mutual, and others to shift their primary listings overseas. This enabled massive capital outflows and profit externalisation. Government has failed to stop transfer pricing, illicit financial flows, and illicit trade. This represents the systematic looting of South Africa’s wealth.



Monetary policy protects banks and billionaires while destroying productive sectors

South Africa’s monetary policy regime continues to benefit banks, millionaires, and billionaires at the expense of workers and productive sectors. The repo rate stands at 6.75% and the prime lending rate at 10.25%.

These high interest rates:
• Destroy small businesses
• Prevent industrial investment
• Accelerate factory closures
• Increase debt burdens on workers
At the same time, banks and wealthy asset holders earn billions through interest income. Workers pay more. The wealthy earn more. This is a direct redistribution ofwealth from workers to financial capital.

Operation Vulindlela and GAIN shift risk to the public and privatise profits

Operation Vulindlela and GAIN represent the latest phase of neoliberal restructuring. They shift the risk of investment onto the public while guaranteeing profits for private corporations. The public finances
infrastructure. The public carries the risk. The public absorbs thelosses. The profits are privatised. This is not a market economy. It is the socialisation of risk and privatisation of profit. These policies protect capital while exposingworkers to unemployment and poverty.



SAFTU’s Section 77 demands provide the only viable alternative

SAFTU has tabled demands under Section 77 of the Labour Relations Act for the fundamental restructuring of the economy. The starting point is to overhaul the economic structure so that it serves the needs of the people, not profits.

The economy must be restructured to prioritise:
• Job creation
• Elimination of poverty
• Reduction of inequality
• Meeting the basic needs of all

This requires:
• State-led industrialisation
• Beneficiation of mineral resources
• Development of manufacturing and agro-processing industries
• Massive public investment
• Abandonment of austerity
• Expansion of public employment
• Democratic public ownership of strategic sectors
• Comprehensive social protection

South Africa must build industries that process its own resources and create jobs locally.

The Government must abandon failed neoliberal policies

The 42.1% exclusion rate confirms the catastrophic failure of neoliberal economic policies. Government cannot continue to deny reality. There are no green shoots. There is only mass unemployment, deindustrialisation, precarious work, and economic collapse.
The Government must abandon Operation Vulindlela, GAIN, austerity, and neoliberal policies and implement a worker-centred economic transformation.

SAFTU calls for mass mobilisation
SAFTU calls on workers, the unemployed, unions, and communities to unite in mass struggle to demand economic transformation.

The current economic path leads to permanent unemployment and social collapse. South Africa must build a productive economy that serves its people, not corporations.
The future of millions depends on it.

�A statement was issued on behalf of the SAFTU General Secretary Zwelinzima Vavi.
��For media inquiries, contact the National Spokesperson at:�
�Newton Masuku�newtown@saftu.org.za�0661682157�Media Officer�Asive Dyani�0719019564

15/02/2026

*Media Statement*
*15 February 2026*

*SAFTU STATEMENT CONDEMNS THE ASSASSINATION OF ABAHLALI BASEMJONDOLO LEADER ZWELI “KHABAZELA” MKHIZE*

The South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) expresses its deepest shock, outrage, and anger at the barbaric assassination of Comrade Zweli “Khabazela” Mkhize, the Treasurer of the eNkanini branch of Abahlali baseMjondolo, who was gunned down on the evening of Thursday, 12 February 2026, in eNkanini, Ellandale, Gauteng.

According to reports, Comrade Khabazela was at the home of a close friend, someone he regarded as a brother, when two men arrived in a Renault vehicle and immediately opened fire on him. He was brutally murdered in cold blood in what bears all the hallmarks of a targeted political assassination. This is not merely a criminal act. It is an attack on democratic organisation, community leadership, and the fundamental right of the working class and the poor to organise and defend their dignity.

SAFTU conveys its heartfelt condolences to his family, comrades, and the entire Abahlali baseMjondolo movement, as well as to the community of eNkanini, who have lost a courageous, principled, and honest leader.

Comrade Khabazela was known as a committed, transparent, and trustworthy leader who dedicated his life to advancing the interests of his community. His commitment to democratic processes and grassroots organisation reflects the finest traditions of working-class struggle in South Africa. His assassination represents a direct assault on the democratic rights of shack dwellers and the broader working class.

*A PATTERN OF POLITICAL ASSASSINATIONS AGAINST COMMUNITY LEADERS*

This killing is not an isolated incident. It forms part of a disturbing and unacceptable pattern of assassinations targeting Abahlali baseMjondolo leaders and community activists across South Africa. Over the past decade, numerous leaders of this movement have been murdered under similar circumstances. These assassinations expose the brutal reality that activists who stand up against corruption, land dispossession, housing injustice, and local elite patronage networks often face intimidation, violence, and death.

The working class and the poor are being told, through bullets, that their lives and their democratic rights are disposable.

This is a damning indictment of the state’s failure to protect activists and uphold the constitutional rights to organise, protest, and participate in democratic life without fear of assassination.

*THE FAILURE OF THE STATE AND THE CULTURE OF IMPUNITY*

SAFTU condemns the culture of impunity that allows these assassinations to continue without consequence. In far too many cases, the perpetrators, the planners, and those who benefit politically and materially from these killings are never arrested or prosecuted.

This raises serious questions about:
• The failure of law enforcement agencies to investigate political assassinations with urgency and seriousness;
• The possible involvement of local power brokers threatened by democratic grassroots organising;
• The broader environment of lawlessness, corruption, and violence that has taken root in many communities.

A democracy cannot function when community leaders are silenced by bullets.

A society cannot call itself free when the poor are murdered for organising themselves.

*AN ATTACK ON THE ENTIRE WORKING CLASS*

An injury to one is an injury to all.

The assassination of Comrade Khabazela is an attack on the entire working class, the unemployed, shack dwellers, and all those who struggle daily for land, housing, water, electricity, and dignity. It is an attempt to intimidate and silence those who refuse to accept the unbearable conditions imposed by poverty, inequality, and state neglect.

History has taught us that violence against grassroots leaders is often used to protect corrupt interests, maintain unjust power relations, and suppress legitimate democratic demands.

SAFTU stands in full solidarity with Abahlali baseMjondolo and all community movements fighting for justice.

*OUR DEMANDS*

SAFTU calls on the South African government and law enforcement agencies to:
1. Immediately launch a full, independent, and transparent investigation into the assassination of Comrade Zweli Mkhize;
2. Arrest and prosecute not only the gunmen but also those who planned, ordered, and financed this assassination;
3. Provide protection to Abahlali baseMjondolo leaders and other community activists facing threats;
4. Publicly report on progress in investigating political assassinations of community leaders across the country;
5. Take decisive action to dismantle the networks of violence, corruption, and intimidation operating in communities.

THE STRUGGLE CONTINUES

Throughout our history, the working class has paid a heavy price for freedom, justice, and dignity. From the assassinations of trade unionists and community leaders under apartheid to the present day, the forces of repression continue to target those who dare to organise and resist injustice.

But history also teaches us that repression cannot defeat a just cause.

SAFTU salutes the life and struggle of Comrade Zweli “Khabazela” Mkhize. His commitment, courage, and sacrifice will not be forgotten. His death strengthens our resolve to continue the struggle for a society based on equality, justice, dignity, and democratic control by the working class.

We call on all workers, unions, and community organisations to unite in defence of activists, democracy, and the right of the poor to organise without fear.

The blood of Comrade Khabazela must not be in vain.

A statement was issued on behalf of the SAFTU General Secretary Zwelinzima Vavi.

For media inquiries, contact the National Spokesperson at:

Newton Masuku
newtown@saftu.org.za
0661682157
Media Officer
Asive Dyani
0719019564

15/02/2026

POLITICAL EDUCATION PAMPHLET

When Movements Become Cults
When Desperation Produces Strongmen

Why “Messianic” leaders always turn against workers
A SAFTU Political Education Pamphlet

1. Why do Strongmen rise?
Strongmen do not rise because societies are “stupid”.
They rise because societies are desperately trying to find a way out of a deep crisis.
They emerge when people experience:
a) Mass unemployment and hunger
b) Rising inequality and humiliation
c) Corruption and collapse of public services
d) Crime and insecurity
e) Loss of hope — especially among youth
f) Political parties that promise change but deliver betrayal
g) Collapse in the national conscious and death of politics
In these moments, people start saying:
• “Democracy is not working – the constitutional order is a farce.”
• “We need a strong hand we have been betrayed by those we trusted.”
• “We need a saviour to clean up – dictatorship is actually good – bring back a Whiteman – setlare sa moto ke lekgowa.”
That is the opening where cult politics grows.

Lesson 1 — Stalin: How Socialism Lost its Democracy
Joseph Stalin
Before the Russian revolution promised
• worker councils
• factory democracy
• recallable leaders
• mass participation
After power was concentrated under Stalin:
• opposition banned
• internal democracy crushed
• unions subordinated to the state
• strikes prohibited
• mass purges
• millions jailed in labour camps
Fear replaced debate.
Consequence: Socialism became associated worldwide with dictatorship and repression.
Lesson: Socialism without democracy becomes bureaucracy and coercion.
workers’ control cannot be replaced by “strong leadership.”

Lesson 2 — Mao: when a leader becomes sacred
Mao Zedong
During the cultural revolution:
• critics labelled enemies
• youth mobilised to attack “opponents”
• schools and workplaces disrupted
• millions persecuted
• personality cult flourished
Consequence: Economic chaos, fear, destroyed institutions.
Lesson: No leader must ever become untouchable.
when criticism disappears, abuse grows.

Lesson 3 — Italy: Why Mussolini looked like “hope”
Benito Mussolini
Conditions that produced him
After World War I:
• unemployment
• inflation
• returning soldiers with no work
• weak, corrupt governments
• mass strikes and factory occupations
Elites feared worker power.
He became popular because he promised:
• order
• stability
• anti-corruption
• national pride
• “strong leadership”
Desperate people believed him.
What he actually did once in power:
• smashed unions
• banned strikes
• jailed socialists
• ruled through violence
• served big business
Lesson
Fascism rises to crush workers — not save them.
Lesson 4 — Germany: why Hi**er won mass support
Adolf Hi**er
Conditions
• hyperinflation destroyed savings
• great depression mass unemployment
• youth hopeless
• parties discredited
Why people supported him
He promised:
• jobs
• discipline
• national revival
• an end to chaos
First action in power
He destroyed independent unions and jailed labour leaders.
Lesson
Every strongman who promises salvation eventually attacks organised labour.

AFRICA TODAY: WHY COUPS AND “STRONGMEN” LOOK ATTRACTIVE — AND WHY WORKERS MUST BE CAUTIOUS

Across parts of West and Central Africa today, we see a similar pattern to Italy in the 1920s and Germany in the 1930s.

Decades after independence, many countries face:
• mass youth unemployment
• deep poverty
• corruption and looting of public resources
• governments seen as agents of foreign interests
• continued control of minerals and economies by multinational corporations
• political parties that promise liberation but deliver misery
In the Sahel region especially, anger has grown against regimes seen as “French stooges”.
So when soldiers overthrow those governments, many ordinary people celebrate.
They celebrate not because they love military rule.
They celebrate because they are desperate.
They feel:
“Nothing else has worked.”
“Anyone new is better than the old politicians.”
“At least these ones are decisive.”
This is exactly the psychology that previously lifted Mussolini and Hi**er.
Desperation makes strongmen look like saviours.
The danger sign workers must recognise
When a strongman takes power, something predictable happens:
Criticism becomes suspicious.
Questions become disloyalty.
Opposition becomes “foreign agents”.
Anyone who points out weaknesses is labelled:
• imperialist
• counter-revolutionary
• traitor
• enemy of the nation
This closes democratic space very quickly.

The Burkina Faso example
Under Ibrahim Traoré, many Africans admire his anti-imperialist language and rejection of foreign domination.
This anger against neo-colonialism is understandable and justified.
But workers must ask a deeper question:
• Are unions free to organise?
• Are strikes protected?
• Can civil society criticise openly?
• Can the press question leadership without fear?
• Can workers oppose decisions without being labelled enemies?
If the answer is no, then democratic space is shrinking — even if the rhetoric is radical.
History shows:
When leaders cannot be criticised, workers cannot defend themselves.
Even leaders who begin with popular support can drift toward:
• centralisation of power
• intolerance of dissent
• restrictions on unions
• repression “in the name of unity”
And once that space closes, it is very hard to reopen.

Lesson 5 — Fanon’s warning about post-liberation elites
Frantz Fanon
Fanon warned that after liberation:
• a small elite captures the state
• replaces colonial rulers but keeps the same system
• uses nationalism to silence criticism
• becomes corrupt and self-serving
• democracy becomes hollow
He warned that without political education: “The party becomes a screen between the masses and the leadership.”
Meaning: leaders stop listening to the people. This describes many post-liberation societies today.

Lesson 6 — Cabral on political education
Amilcar Cabral
Cabral insisted:
“Tell no lies. claim no easy victories.”
and
“Hide nothing from the masses… expose lies whenever they are told.”
and
“Learn from life. learn from our people. learn always.”
Because without political education:
• leaders become arrogant
• cadres become careerists
• movements decay
leaders who hate education usually fear questioning.
Connecting to South Africa
We face:
• mass unemployment
• inequality
• corruption
• service collapse
• crime
• youth despair
• alienation from politics
These are exactly the conditions that historically produce:
Messiahs
Strongmen
Coups
Personality politics
But history teaches:
Strongmen always end by:
• shrinking democracy
• attacking unions
• suppressing dissent
• protecting elites
Even inside unions
The same dangers exist:
• Purges
• Corruption
• Factionalism
• Service-provider and investment company capture
• Intimidation
• Splintering
This weakens workers and strengthens bosses.
Without internal democracy, unions also decay.

SAFTU’s Position
Workers must defend:
◊ Mandates
◊ Debate
◊ Criticism
◊ Recallable leaders
◊ Political education
◊ Collective leadership
Never surrender democracy for a hero.
Final message
History is clear:
• Stalin
• Mao
• Mussolini
• Hi**er
Different ideologies. same result.
When democracy dies — workers suffer.
The answer is not a Messiah.
The answer is organised, educated, democratic worker power.