First Published: Workers Viewpoint, Vol. 5, No. 9, March 15, 1980.
Transcription, Editing and Markup: Paul Saba
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Comrade Robert Gabriel Mugabe
Prime Minister of Zimbabwe
President of the Zimbabwe African National Union
Salisbury
Comrade Prime Minister,
On the historic occasion of the landslide electoral victory of Comrade Mugabe and the Zimbabwe African National Union, the Communist Workers Party of the United States of America wishes to extend our warmest congratulations to you, to the Zimbabwe African National Union and to the Zimbabwean people.
The electoral victory is a product resulting from seven years of sacrifices through armed struggle. By correctly leading the Zimbabwean masses in protracted war, ZANU forced the U.S. and British imperialists to the negotiation table and into the present electoral victory. Through the proper use of tactics, you have exposed the British/Smith/Muzorewa puppet regime once and for all.
The election has profound influence on world public opinion. It confirms once and for all that Comrade President Mugabe and ZANU speak for the Zimbabwean people. This the two superpowers, British imperialists and the South Africa racists can no longer hide. In this sense the electoral victory has given ZANU tremendous initiative.
However, the tasks at hand are far more complex and the struggle will be on a higher, more difficult level. We know you are faced now with three fronts instead of mainly one as before: parliamentary/diplomatic, economic and military. The imperialists will try to ambush ZANU on the economic and political fronts, what they were not able to accomplish on the military front.
Comrade Mugabe has correctly undertaken the task of forming a national front government with Mr. Joshua Nkomo and others. This front allows you to continue influencing world opinion as well as to create conditions to isolate enemies one by one. It also serves as the best condition to aid ZANU’s consolidation of the national economy. We are confident moreover that, under your leadership, the independent military forces of ZANU will be strengthened even more. This is indispensable for the final dismantling and eradication of the racist armed forces. As Marxism-Leninism-Mao Tsetung Thought teaches us, the armed forces and the ability to use revolutionary forces are central to the forging and consolidation of the peoples’ state power.
In the sphere of foreign policy, we are confident that you will continue to follow the path of not relying on U.S. imperialism and Soviet social-imperialism. Needless to say, in the face of ZANU’s political gain they will change their attitude towards ZANU from the past malicious glee to sweet talks. Both superpowers will work overtime to try to bring about a neo-colonialist regime in Zimbabwe. As usual, hypocritical “congratulations” and “benevolent” aid will be their attempts to kill the Zimbabwe revolution by sugar-coated bullets. Only by relying on your own people to fight for economic independence and self-reliance and constantly building ZANU’s independent armed forces and political base can there be real independence. We wish to thank you; we want to let you know that your blows against U.S. imperialism directly aid our preparation for proletarian revolution in the U.S.A.
The Communist Workers Party has supported the liberation struggle of the Patriotic Front and of the Azanian people in South Africa through many years of African Liberation Support Committee work. We have supported each other and have forged a deep revolutionary friendship in our struggle against imperialism. After the November 3 assassination of five Communist Workers Party members by the Ku Klux Klan, Nazis and the FBI, comrade T.J. Kangai (ZANU’s chief representative to its U.N. Mission) personally visited Marty Nathan, widow of our fallen comrade Mike Nathan. Both Comrade Mike and Marty had led the collection of $100,000 worth of medical supplies for Zimbabwe. We thank you for the letter of support and solidarity.
The Communist Workers Party will continue to support the revolutionary struggle of the Zimbabwean people and the people in southern Africa, and continue to work for the strengthening of the revolutionary friendship and militant unity of our two parties and of the U.S. and Zimbabwean peoples.
Jerry Tung
Central Committee of the Communist Workers Party of the United States of America
New York
March 1980