The Spark

The March 20th National Shutdown was a historical move in the epoch of post-apartheid South Africa. The National Shutdown demonstrated one thing and one thing only, the power of the EFFSC in the inner workings and organizational lifeblood of the EFF. This demonstration of the EFFSC being a fighting organ not only in the hands of students from working class and peasantry backgrounds, but also the working class and the peasantry in itself is a demonstration of the power of students in the class struggle in South Africa. Our history is filled with such realities; however, the exercise of this article is to assess the overall performance of the Organization and many other organizations that joined the shutdown. Results The EFF National Shutdown of March 20th was a shutdown like no other. For the first time in a long time, we saw the might of the South African Police Service (SAPS) on full display. The State reacted to a threat from a grouping of Socialist Organizations (EFF, Land Party, PA...

Reformism, Populism, and Revolutionary are the most commonly used terms in the political space in Higher Education institutions. This is being sparked by the increasing tide of reactionary and neoliberal politics in the country, and in particular the sector of Higher Education. These concepts grip our political imagination and reality not only because we are learning about them in lecture halls but because every single day in these institutions is a confrontation of either one of these three tendencies, all varying in their degrees. As a result, these tendencies end up gripping the organs of student power in institutions of higher learning and this also varies depending on the political tide objectively, and the reality on the ground in as far as leadership is concerned (which is a subjective matter). Objectively, we face a very violent system, but the question is do we have a subjective factor that is strong enough to withstand this objective reality? In this article we will answer t...

The society we live in has many problems. These problems are a result of the contradictions that emanate from the development of society and humanity. However, since the dawn of the state we have seen a tendency that has not only captured societies, but this tendency has led to chaos and anarchy that lead society to the bottomless pit of poverty, misery, and inequality. We have seen this tendency rise in our institution due to a political vacuum that normally pops up during the tenure of interim structures. In our institution we have seen tendencies of this nature rise, and in their rise, they have been directed to the SRC. This is not to say the SRC is an innocent organ that is spotless and holy. I have been accused of portraying the SRC as such; however, those who have accused me of such have failed to produce evidence of such. I want to state it clearly that my views are influenced by my commitment to Marxist-Leninist-Fanonian thought and the Party that adheres to this school of tho...

                                                                                                                                                        The ISP in the University of Fort Hare has been riddled with a lot of technical and administrative issues. This is due to the lack of concern for such matters. As a result, in the year of 2022 we did not have SRC Elections not because of extraordinary circumstances like 2020 (COVID-19) but because of administrative and technical issues. These technical issues have bogged down the struct...

Shutdowns have always been tactically used to put pressure on institutional management to submit to  the demands of the students or at least reach a halfway point of compromise. However, post-COVID-19 these shutdowns have had little to no effect in the broader scale of the struggle. These shutdowns have instead become an arena for the management to identify all the reactionaries, counterrevolutionaries, and potential sellouts and scabs to use so that they can purge all of those who are problematic to the system. In this article we will analyze the role played by shutdowns in our history of the struggle for free, quality, well-resourced and decolonized education. We will then analyze the status quo and the effectiveness of shutdowns. We will then conclude on what is to be done to advance the revolutionary struggle for free, quality well-resourced and decolonized education. Historical Role of Shutdowns Shutdowns have been a known feature in the struggle for a Socialist...