Dear Nafisa

I agree that Mondli's attitude is even more authoritarian that the ANC. He really does seem to think that any poor person who challenges his authority is 'criminal'. It is very disturbing that so few people have stood up to his truly atrocious behaviour. I am wondering if there is any hope at all for the SA left. If it tolerates this kind of behaviour now when it is just fighting over trips to the WSF how would it be in power? Re-education camps in the Karoo I guess.

At a time when people and movements are being widely slandered by well known individuals (very obviously) writing under other people's names (e.g. Ashwin Desai is so clearly writing his attacks under Brandon Pillay's name etc)I really do wish that I didn't have to make an anonymous post. This is the time for people to speak reasonably and clearly, as Anna Weekes is courageously doing, in their own names. If there is some hope for the SA left it rests in people like Anna. But I have colleagues on these listerves and am just not prepared to become an object of slander and even subject to (at times clearly gendered) threats of violence for daring to speak up against the men who see themselves as The Leaders of the Left and insist that everyone bow down in awe of their almighty cocks. We all know who they are.

But I do want to say two things. The first is that last night I saw the film that Anthony Collins made of the AEC/ABM protest at the SMI. It is a VERY BIG eye opener.The people in SMI/CCS who made such wild public attacks on the movements after the protest claimed that the protest was criminal, violent, irrational and all about the academics that were purged from CCS. Having twice met ABM people in workshops and been highly impressed with their dignity and seriousness I knew that what had been said was definitely an exaggeration but I did still expect to see some sort of conflict in the film. But in fact the film shows very clearly that the protest was entirely peaceful, was entirely rational and was simply a request for the NGOs/SMI to act democratically. The film shows that, with out any doubt, the SMI, and especially Hlatswayo, Naidu etc, were simply lying when they publically attacked ABM as 'criminal'. Surely this film should be put on this site or on IndyMedia? The film will reveal quite clearly that attacks on the movements by the NGOs/SMI are utterly dishonest. The people who have told such wild lies about the movement to protect the power of the NGOs against movement requests for democratisation of the SA left will be 100% exposed once the film is put online. I know that the film doesn't expose all the lies in the SMI/CCS attacks on the movements - for example Naidoo claims that ABM got money from SMI networks for lawyers but I happen to have met their lawyer and know for a fact that this is not true. But having the film online will expose the main lies that have been circulated.

The second thing is that reading the stuff in the M&G and online it is very striking how highly racist the attacks on ABM are. The SMI people do, you are right, do often just sound like more vicious versions of the ANC. But they also pander to racist streotypes in very crude ways. They sound just like middle class suburbanities who are terrifed of 'dangerous' slum dwellers who have 'invaded' their space. Why is no one talking about this elephant in the room?

The movements are stronger than ever. Is this why the NGOs people are attacking them? A depressing thought.

Anon.