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The National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union [NEHAWU] is shocked that the ANC resolutions and Alliance policies are once again being openly defied. President Jacob Zuma is reported to have recently said of Morocco “we need to have relations with them, we never had problems with them anyway”.

This betrayal of the Saharawi struggle is yet another indicator of a morally bankrupt, ethically shallow and, undemocratic leadership. We expected that the Chair of the ANC International Relations subcommittee would remain quiet or defend this counterrevolutionary position as the Chair time and again has proven to lack a spirit of internationalism. Her only legacy, is that the ANC IR Subcommittee was colonized and captured by the west during her reign.

Some in the ANC claim to be militant in wanting to allegedly champion “Radical Economic Transformation” yet when it comes to international issues, in really taking on monopoly capital, they become timid and weak.

Indeed, talk of wanting to take on imperialists is all hog-wash and cover for corruption. It could even be possible that our international solidarity is being sold out to cash in on cheque book diplomacy and corruptly benefit individuals, families or cronies. Our solidarity and our country is being sold to imperialists and lobbyists.

If comrades were serious about challenging imperialism, monopoly capital and white supremacy we would be imposing sanctions on Morocco and not sweet-talking to their King who is overseeing the oppression of the Saharawi people. The ANC must take action against those deployees who are not following both the ANC and Alliance resolutions and policies.

Some government deployees are behaving as a law onto themselves, one would think that on international issues they are members of the DA for articulating Western liberal views. DIRCO continues to ignore ANC policies and the branches of the ANC, it is also undermining our workers and is seemly an entry point into South Africa for imperialism and an open gate that threatens our sovereignty.

The ANC must prove that it is committed to its values and policies, or the leadership will be guilty of talking left while walking right. As NEHAWU, while we successfully and militantly champion local and international worker concerns, we will continue our solidarity with the oppressed peoples of the world, at the forefront of that will always be the people of Western Sahara for as long as the Moroccan monarchy is oppressing, occupying and colonizing then.

The occupation of Western Sahara is an enemy of true internationalists, and Morocco’s the enabler of that colonization is therefore our enemy.
 

Issued by NEHAWU