The general secretary of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa), Irvin Jim, was candid in claiming that he did not view the MK Party as a socialist-oriented party.
The agenda of the Conference of the Left remains ideologically murky, even contested and it may be forced to navigate choppy waters in its attempt to resolve intractable hurdles created by the country’s political realities.
The conference was convened at the Birchwood Conference Centre in Boksburg, east of Johannesburg, at the weekend.
The reason for the convergence of politically disparate parties is to “unite progressive forces to fight deepening inequality, mass unemployment and capitalist dominance”.
At the end of three days of meetings, the conference committed itself to forming a Council of the Left, whose focus is to facilitate joint campaigns, including the sharing of resources and agitation against the government of national unity (GNU).
