10thAugust
1932.
Leon Trotsky
Prinkipo Islands,
Contantinople.
Turkey.

Dear Comrade Trotsky,

I hope that by thc time you receave this letter from me you shall
have seen a letter I send to the Communist League of America Opposition.
Quite a lot has happened in the communist party of South Africa,
private meetings are still continueing, expelled Stalinist and
those who are still in the Party are forming a common front in
killing
the Communist League of Africa (Left Opposition) instead of specialising
in fighting against the true enemy of the oppressed people ofAfrica
viz Capitalists they waist time in fighting the most revolutionary
(the left oppositin) in trying to bluffthe left oppositions they
tell us that Trotsky is an outcast and that the left opposition
only exists in America and no where else and yet if one reads
the Militant
regularly would soon see through the tactics of the Stalinists
worshipers in the Communist Party of South Africa. They tell
us that the left
Oppositionists are lazy individuals who only sit down in their
office critizing the leadership of the Communist Intemational,
that the
left opposition is going to help the capitalists when the next
war against U.S.S.R. is made by the Capitalists. They conisder
the Militant
a very dangerous paper to be read by the negro workers of Africa
in particular. But all those negro workers that has been reading
the Militant do not want to part with the same, I hope that by
next year we shall be able to start the paper to be written in
the languages
spoken by the South African negros, by this I mean a paper for
spreading the views of the left opposition in South Africa. We
need a lot ofarticles
on the conditions in South Africa to appear in the Militant. We
are busy organising the negro trade unions and we are already
considering
of forming "Artuo"(Africa Red Trade Unions Oppositions)
and for the Communist League of Africa (left opposition) we have
already taken an office at 9 Berea Street, City and Suburban, Johannesburg,
from where these trade unions are being organised, we received few
pamphlets from comrade T. Stamm of the communist league of Amerika
these we keep in our office for those comrades who cannot afford
to by to read at our office we need plenty more literature ofthe
left opposition because the Stalinists bureaucrats has for some years
been hiding such a literature to be known by the African Negro workers,
I must thamk Comrade Victor Danchin who helped to get some of the
left opposition translated for me from the Russian left opposition
literature, because to day I can a lot in seeing some negro workers
to understand the unpardonable mistakes which are purposely being
committed by the Stalinists bereacrats who govern in the Communists
Party of South Africa.

Perhaps this shall interest the members of the left opposition to
hear, there is a great selfishness that is being done by the Stalinists
in South Africa, viz students from negro comrades who have proved
themselves to be absolutely loyal to the instructions from boss Stalin
are now being for their education to moscow but all those who have
tryed to ague are being expelled from the C.P.S.A. and are being
left out not to be given a chance to go and learn but the left opposition
in South Africa is quite alive to these manuvering of the Stalinist
when these students return shall fifht bitterly against the left
opposition of South Africa again these creatures refuse us to buy
and read the official organ of the E.C.C.I. I think that they are
afraid we shall compare it with the Militant.

I joined the revolutionary movement in 1916,and since that time I
have been on its E.C. and for many years the only negro comrade.
from 1928 I organised the following trade Unions, Laundry Workers
Union, Clothing Workers Union, Fumiture Workers, Metal Workers, Meat
and Cold Storage Workers, Domestic Servants, Dairy workers, Canvas
and Rope Workers, Transpoort Workers, Chemical Workers, Intemational
Working Women.

Mechanic and Motor Drivers Union, Etc etc. I also formed the following
branches of the Communist Party of South Africa. Pretoria, Potchefstroom,
Evaton Vereeniging, Paardekop Bloemfontein, and at Ndabeni Location
(Cape Town). We formed the Federation of Trade Unions in October
1928 but to day there is no longer any single trade union under the
control of the party almost all the branches are now dead are purposely
left to die by the Stalin bereacrats governing the Communist Party
of South Africa, and yet if people oversea reads the official organ
Umsebenzi would think that these bereacrats are doing a splendid
job for the revolutionary movement in South Africa. If Joseph Stalin
did not know hat he was being told lies about the condition in South
Africa left him hear it from the Militanyt he should also try to
fined out why the Negroes are living the Party apart from those who
are expelled. They are turning the Official paper of the Party into
a lieng organ for no one would believe being in soulh Africa news
in the Umsebenzi. Since the beginning of these year a lon prayer
has been drawn up by Comrade S. P. Bunting signed by Comrade Gana
Makabenim Simon Mafisa, Willie T. Twayi, and B. Dau Madiseng all
negro comrades some do not know the contents of that prayer to Boss
Stalin requesting him to be mercifal and reinstate them into the
Communist Party of South Africa, I personally was refused admitance
the day when that prayer was finally read to be send these immediately
created suspicion because I should have been left to hear what it
was for I am also an expelled member of the party. So far no reply
has been received to that prayer, the drawer of these long prayer
is not prepared to join the left Opposition and yet those who signed
have no
objection injoining the left opp[osition].

We received a letter from comrade Vitte ofthe International Secreatariate
of theLeft Opposition but he did not give his address so we can't
reply to him direct9, Please tell him that I do not read German or
French but read English, Dutch, Zulu, Sesotu, Chiswina, Shangaan,
TsiVenda, Xosa and various other negro languages.

Hoping to hear from you,
Yours for the Overthrow of Capitalism in Africa

T. W. Thibedi
P.O.Box 41 t 3,
Johannesburg,
Communist League of Africa Left Op[position}