The ZANU (PF) international sanctions march which is supported by former liberation movements in the SADC region have a danger of pushing progressive left formations to the centre if the progressive left is not rooted in Marxism – Leninism.
The progressive left must balance its struggle against imperialism at the same time , exposing the looting class located in ZANU(PF) for what it is. The danger for the progressive forces is to use the adage which says your enemies enemy is your friend there by pushing the progressive left to stand on one corner with the imperialist forces which imposed sanctions on the political leadership of Zimbabwe. As a rule, a revolutionary or a progressive left will never stand on the same corner with our international class enemies on any issue. Equally, revolutionaries will at all material times stand opposed to the looting class that uses state apparatus to cow down the leadership of organised labour through abductions, beatings and imprisonment.
As the international sanctions marches are gathering steam in our region, the task of the progressive left is first and foremost to denounce sanctions and secondly denounce the looting class as led by President Mnangagwa for its hypocrisy. The Mnangagwa administration thought that by announcing the compensation of land to former white commercial farmers and by applying to rejoin the British Commonwealth would be enough to convince the imperialists to drop sanctions. They were naive.
Equally, those who buy into the false narrative that sanctions were imposed as a result of human rights abuse need to deepen their understanding of imperialism. Assuming the sanctions were imposed to end human rights abuse and to force the political leadership in Zimbabwe to conduct free & fair elections, we must look at how the Eswatini regime is abusing its citizens who are not allowed to belong to political parties. In 1973 , King Sobhuza banned political parties, many Swazis are in exile in South Africa while King Mswati enjoys good relationship with the imperialist forces. The day King Mswati were to lay his hands on the sugar plantations , he will not last a day. What about the President of Uganda who jails on daily basis his political opponents, why is the USA not imposing sanctions including on Rwanda where opposition leaders are disappearing ,some assassinated in South Africa?
In its opposition to Zanuism , the progressive left must not find itself on the side of imperialist forces and should not be marching along side ZANU (PF) that has declared the working class its enemy. For comrades who are not rooted in the Marxist theory, this balancing act will be difficult to perform . Some comrades might be swept away by the populist wind and fall either on the side of imperialist in advancing the targeted restrictions narrative or find themselves marching alongside the looting class whose class interest is to continue looting.
Sanctions Must Go! The Looting Class Must Go!
Mabhena
