All-African People's Revolutionary Party logo

All-African People's Revolutionary Party Pan-Africanism: The Total Liberation and Unification of Africa Under Scientific Socialism

  • Home
  • About Us

    About the A-APRP

    • Historical Origins
    • Ideology
    • Some Aspects
    • What is the A-APRP?
    • A-APRP Skills Questionnaire

    Media

    • Press Releases

    Programmes & Activities

    • African Liberation Day
    • Brother/Sister Organizations and Alliances
    • Cultural Workers Bureau
  • Join Us
    • How to Join
    • Learn More
    • Contact Us
  • Women's Union
  • Events
    • Video Gallery
    • Photo Gallery
  • Topics
    • Ancestors
    • Current Events
    • Revolutionary Poetry
    • Women
    • Youth
  • Donate
  • Shop

“The total liberation and unification of Africa under an All-African Socialist Government must be the primary objective of all Black revolutionaries throughout the world. It is an objective which, when achieved, will bring about the fulfillment of the aspirations of Africans and people of African descent everywhere. It will at the same time advance the triumph of the international socialist revolution, and the onward progress towards world communism, under which, every society is ordered on the principle of –from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.” — Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah

You are here: Home / Feature Story / Student Wars are Worker Wars and Worker Wars are Land Wars

Student Wars are Worker Wars and Worker Wars are Land Wars

30 April 2018 By A-APRP Leave a Comment

Student Wars are Worker Wars and Worker Wars are Land Wars

May Day Celebrations in Havana Cuba

There were a number of student activist engagements in Azania (South Africa) from 2015 through 2017 that shut down college campuses. The result was a government plan that promises free education for the children of poor and working class families.  Like most concessions, this comes with restrictions and can be rescinded at any time.  More important was that the student activists established solidarity with workers.

While calling for free education, the student movement also called for a living wage for workers and an end to outsourcing.  Most of the campus jobs from maintenance to security had been outsourced to companies that were notorious for exploiting workers with no benefits, minimal wages and no job security.  The university found it more profitable to outsource than hire directly.  They justified this indirect exploitation on the fact that their primary responsibility was education.  According to the university administration, jobs not directly involving education should be handled by other agencies.

The students realized this was an excuse for the university to wash its hands of the exploitation occurring on the campus.  The students saw all workers as part of the university family and they used their organizing power to support the workers’ cause.  The enlightenment of the student activists went beyond the campus.  They called for an end of outsourcing on the part of all of the state-owned and state-run enterprises and demanded a living wage for all in the country.  Hence, student wars had become workers wars.

On another front, the ruling African National Congress (ANC) was pushed to develop a position in support of land reclamation.  This year the new president, in the State of the Nation Address had to announce the Party’s support for revisiting the Constitution to address land repossession without compensation.  In March of this year, 2018, the ANC supported the Economic Freedom Fighters’ call in Parliament for an organized effort to investigate land repossession without compensation.  These changes were the direct result of pressure from the workers.  Workers wars had become land wars.

The connections between these struggles have not been lost on conscious students. At a program commemorating Steven Biko a young militant wore a T-shirt that said: “Student wars are worker wars and worker wars are land wars.”

Fees Must Fall Demonstration in Azania/South Africa - Photo Source: telesurtv.net
Fees Must Fall Demonstration in Azania/South Africa – Photo Source: telesurtv.net

Land in particular is at the very core of liberation struggles in Africa. Available agricultural land declined by 4% over the past 23 years, from 97.03 million hectares to 93.25 million hectares.  Agricultural land has been taken over by mining, industry and the extension of municipal boundaries.  It is under these conditions that a growing anger among the people over land and wealth inequality must be understood.

For their part, European settlers in Azania have become increasingly anxious about the safety of white farmers. Their rhetoric includes charges of ‘white genocide’ and violence on the farms. However, the facts are quite different. The South African Police recorded an annual average of 59 farm murders between 2014 and 2017, in comparison to an annual average of 63 farm murders between 2010 and 2014. The high point was 2001-2, when 140 farm murders were recorded by the police.  These facts are particularly significant in light of Azania’s population growth from 45 million in 2000 to 56 million by the end of 2016.

Misinformation can be powerful. In the midst of these claims of ‘white genocide,’ Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said he wanted to expedite visa applications for white South Africans, fearing for the safety of his fellow European settlers. The South African International Relations Minister Lindiwe Sisulu issued a demand for a retraction of the comments by Dutton. European settlers in Australia are nevertheless accelerating visas for fellow Europeans from Azania, and Israel offers immediate citizenship for European Jewish settlers.

The type of support offered by European settlers for their kith and kin is notably lacking in the African World. Africans who live outside of Africa and who endure racist violence and police terrorism cannot be certain they will receive sanctuary and refuge in Africa. There is no fast tracking of visas for Africans from Haiti despite the high level of poverty and exploitation caused by so-called humanitarian agencies. Africans from Somalia who endure violence and anarchy created by western military interventions do not receive automatic visas.

With proper organization, Africa has the potential to rescue and support Africans throughout the world. The spirit that led to the linkage of student struggles, worker struggles and land struggles must lead to a struggle for open borders, the right to return, and land reclamation. This will inevitably benefit the struggle for Pan-Africanism – the total liberation and unification of Africa under scientific socialism.

Filed Under: Feature Story Tagged With: #FeesMustFall, Class Struggle, Land Reclamation, Students, Workers

About A-APRP

The All-African People’s Revolutionary Party (AAPRP) is a permanent, independent, revolutionary, socialist, Pan-African Political Party based in Africa, the just homeland of African People all over the world. It is an integral part of the Pan-African and world socialist revolutionary movement.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Join the A-APRP

I would like more information about how to join the A-APRP, please contact me.

  • (Please include Country Code. Example +233 2777 99999)
  • Please read and consent to the privacy policy.
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

This Day In History

Victories
1958 Guinea votes NO to French colonialism and demands complete independence

Press Releases

Revolution in Sahel? Military Coups in Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger

7 August 2023 By A-APRP 1 Comment

Parabéns pela vitória nas urnas

20 June 2023 By A-APRP Leave a Comment

Archives

Recent Articles

  • A-APRP Members sends revolutionary love to the PAIGC for the 50th Anniversary of the proclamation of Independence of Guinea-Bissau
  • Call for End to Imperialist Sanctions!
  • Message from the Sisters to Imperialists who Plunder “You Have Touched a Woman; You Have Struck a Rock!”
  • WATCH LIVE: Pan-African Women’s Day International Webinar
  • A-APRP Presentation at PAC Annual National Conference 2023

Upcoming Events

Sep 30
Featured Featured 12:30 pm - 2:30 pm EDT

Are Black People in American Africans?

Oct 5
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm PDT

No War With AFRICA! The Fight for Pan-Africanism & Liberation in Africa – Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger

View Calendar
Tweets by @AAPRP

Important Links

  • Privacy Policy
  • Learn More About the A-APRP
  • How to Join

Follow Us

𝕏

© 2023 All-African People's Revolutionary Party. All Rights Reserved.

  • Home
  • About
    • Historical Origins
    • Ideology
    • Programme and Activities
      • African Liberation Day
      • Brother/Sister Organizations and Alliances
      • Cultural Workers Bureau
    • Some Aspects
    • What is the A-APRP?
    • Skills Questionnaire
  • Media
    • Press Releases
  • How to Join
    • Contact Us
    • Learn More
  • Women’s Union
  • Events
    • Photo Gallery
    • Video Gallery
  • Topics
    • Ancestors
    • Current Events
    • Women
    • Youth
  • Donations
  • Shop