III International Ideological Seminar, Caracas, November 1- 5 2022.

Presentation
by Communist Party of Swaziland General Secretary Cde Thokozane Kenneth
Kunene

TOPIC: "Updating the debate on the role of workers as

subjects of social transformations in capitalist society
from the work of Karl Marx".
The role workers in social transformation keeps the working class struggles alive
even in conditions of reactionaries and fascism. Oppressive regimes, oppressors
and exploiters recognised the dilemma of surviving their regimes by exploiting
workers and the natural threat workers bring to the very existence of these systems.
It is even costly and defeating the very same purpose of class interests to deal with
this permanent treat.
The work of Karl Marx and Frederick Engels, the founders of working class
philosophy have recognised this role.
After a deep analysis of the economic structure of Capitalism, Karl Marx and
Frederic Engels came to the conclusion that the capitalist system holds the seeds of
its own collapse, the self-digger of its grave paving way for the new social system.
Socialism will replace capitalism. Marx and Engels discovered that the workers are
the leading social force determined to bring about social transformation through the
abolishment capitalism and building socialism.
This formulation was declared in the Communist manifesto published in 1884, stating
that; “Not only has the bourgeoisies forged the weapons that brings death to itself; it
has also called into existence the men who are to wield those weapons - the modern
working class -the proletarians”
Today, Industrial development organises the working class into a force just in the
belly where the capitalist seek to produce and appropriate commodities through the
expropriation of labour power, which the workers in different levels and enormities,
will oppose even in underdeveloped countries. Present day imperialism with
dominance of monopolies (state monopolies included), increase in use of technology
in industrial production has increased the contradictions. Under capitalism, labour
power is a commodity, ignorant to the fact that the worker who possess the labour
power is not a commodity but a social being who also is a consumer of the industrial
commodities and therefore need the income as means to access these commodities.
Replacement of worker by the machine has not relieved capitalist from annoyance
by the workers struggles; instead, it has thrown to bankruptcy a number of bourgeois
some swallowed by the monopolies.

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 The working class has not only waged struggles against the bourgeois in the
production centres, but has extended the struggle to the entire capitalist system in all
fronts for the liberation of the class as a whole. Marx and Engels has forecast the
historical role of the working class based on the conditions of exploitation which
define the permanent contradictions between the workers and the capitalist. The
workers are the consistent opponents of the capitalist systems. Workers are a
connection of the entire working class people to production and are the trusted
representative for the future of the entire society. The course for socialism is
dependent on their class loyalty.
The large scale industry (material base of capitalism) is not a threat to the existence
of the working class, instead, leads to increase in numbers of workers enhancing
their role in society. Working class interests grow each day the crisis of capitalism
keeps deepening making necessary for its overthrow.
For capitalist production to develop, it requires educated workers. The necessity to
overthrow the capitalist system, requires an educated and class conscious
society. This puts the highest value over the working class in the development of
society. It is therefore correct that productive forces are a decisive factor in the
development of any society. Workers are the important force in the transformation of
society by possession both the economic and social elements of the future. The
overthrow of capitalist will place them as the new ruling class taking responsibility of
the entire people as a whole bringing into existence a completely new social relation,
a new democracy.
Exploitation of the working class by the capitalists makes it prone to the working
class that their liberation means the abolishment of the capitalist system and its
replacement by socialism. The historic mission of the working class is to fulfil this
tasks and it remains the main guide of the class struggle of the working class.
The workers have the advantage of mass and continues to grow even when some
industries closedown due to bankruptcy of some capitalist. Another important
strength of the worker is the ability to organise under all material conditions because
of the qualities of collectivism and discipline, united action and solidarity. These very
same qualities of labour production are equally valuable in struggles. The trade
union remains the embryo of the broader working class movement with such
outstanding status of resistance because unions are naturally the formal existence of
workers under capitalist exploitation.
The struggle for the overthrow of capitalism requires an advance state of political
consciousness which the workers alone do not poses neither literature and books
don’t have because it only exist in struggles. The relevant minds in the intelligentsia
come along and take the side of the working class people. The combination of high
level of consciousness and highly developed organisation makes the working
class the only revolutionary and militant force capable of fulfilling the historic mission
of the present time as it was done in the history of class divided society before
capitalism. Capitalism is not only exploitative; it is also oppressive. The struggle for
liberation, fighting the injustices, atrocities by the right-wing elements of capitalism
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will win because of the capacity of the working class revolutionary movement. The
miseries of poverty, deprivation of rights, political and national oppression, militarism
and wars can only end when the system feeding on these conditions is ended.
When the minority class rule is replaced by a majority class rule.
The workers and the broader working class movement importance in society
continues to grow and its political and social role is demanded each moment of the
capitalist permanent disastrous effects. In underdeveloped countries like Swaziland
under the absolute monarchy preceded by Mswati, the crisis is acute and the
working class is the shoulder of the struggles. The banning of political organisations
and activities placed the burden of struggles and livelihood of the entire oppressed
working class people in the shoulders of workers. Fighting unions has only made
conditions to organise unbearable but has not destroyed organisation of workers.
Our party, the Communist Party of Swaziland, has specifically placed itself as the
politically conscious organisation of the working class movement to fulfil the mission
of the working class as discussed above.
The victories in the struggles waged today depend, amongst other things;
- The growing mass strength of the workers
- Highly organised and political conscious working class
- Common interest of the workers and the entire working class people
- Internationalism and solidarity of the working class people of the world.
Capitalist bureaucracy obstructs the historic role of the working class to fight for
democracy in the conditions where national liberation has been archived. Refuting
the political role of workers to fight for socialism.
End

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