Slovo: a life story untold
I FOUND Prince Mashele ’“s SACP buried with Slovo ”, in Monday ’ s paper, interesting, except for the below-the-belt blow on Blade Nzimande, which was petty and unnecessary.
But there are some facts about Joe Slovo that Mashele is seemingly not aware of.
Contrary to what he thinks, Joe Slovo ’ s article (Has Socialism Failed?) that he cites was attacked left and right when it was released, with some critics actually characterising Slovo as a Stalinist.
There is a part of Slovo that is worth telling. This concerns his relationship with Moses Kotane in exile.
The political relationship between the two was not ideal, largely due to differences over how the South African Communist Party was sup- posed to operate in exile and the kind of relationship it should have with the ANC.
Many in the ANC, including Oliver Tambo, were more comfortable with Kotane ’ s version of the party than with Slovo ’ s.
Kotane was considered more accommodative and flexible ideologically and towards the ANC than Slovo.
A story that used to make the rounds in SACP circles held that Slovo once coerced Oliver Tambo into signing a formal SACP-ANC agreement.
It is alleged that the expulsion of Ben Turok from the SACP in 1976 was largely the decision of Slovo as the party ’ s London Committee, to which Turok belonged, had recommended a suspension instead.
There is no space here to speak about Slovo ’ s machinations against Josiah Jele in the 1980s which resulted in the removal of the latter from the Politburo.
At that time, some regarded Jele as the likely successor to Moses Mabhida who, when he died, was succeeded by Slovo himself.
Maybe the time has come now for a more thorough study of the role and contribution of the historical (as opposed to the mythical) Slovo.
Remember, the man was a Lithuanian who landed in South Africa by pure accident and ended up dedicating his entire life to our cause.
It is time someone completes his unfinished autobiography. The full and true picture of his complex life lies not in the extreme accounts painted by his supporters or those who loathed him, but lies perhaps somewhere in the middle, for all of us humans are fallible.