APDUSA hosted its annual conference in Germiston on 26 May 2018. The conference took place two months after a successful political school that took place in Cape Town. In view of the intensive political debates that took place at the political school, the organisation decided to have an abbreviated one-day conference in 2018. The conference was attended by delegates from branches in Gauteng, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, and Western Cape. Delegates debated critical challenges facing the working class and landless peasantry in the current period and how to advance the political programme in this situation.

Conference noted the increasing number of struggles across the country in response to increasing levels of poverty faced by the working class and landless peasants. Our increased economic hardships are a direct result of the policies of the corrupt pro-capitalist ANC government.

It was also noted that corrupt and politically  opportunistic  leaders within the social movements and trade unions are trying to hijack the legitimate struggles of workers and communities. These attempts are manifested in recent splits in the trade union movement.  Conference resolved to do all within the power of the organisation to expose the machinations of these bankrupt trade union bureaucrats and self-appointed leaders who wants to misdirect the legitimate struggles of the working class into ineffective ventures.

Delegates have also recognised the significance of the emergence of embryonic workplace based committees under the direct control of the workers during many worker struggles. This represents an important breakthrough in the independence of workers from politically bankrupt trade union bureaucrats. Conference therefore resolved that APDUSA should work to  to strengthen and promote workplace based committees into a growing movement of workers to bring unions under the direct control of the rank and file.

Many radicalised trade unionists have also been promoting the deceitful notion for the construction of an anti-capitalist workers’ party based on the unprincipled Freedom Charter. How can one reject the pro-capitalist African National Congress (ANC), and at the same time promote the Freedom Charter, the very same political programme on which the ANC is based?

In contrast to this, delegates resolved to promote the regroupment of left anti-capitalist forces for the construction of a broad political movement against capitalism. This movement should be based on a programme in which the interests of the workers and landless peasantry are paramount.

Delegates committed to work tirelessly to strengthen the functionality of the APDUSA and to raise the political consciousness of its membership in order to implement its conference resolutions and to fulfil its political goals and tasks.