IS THE COMMUNISM MODEL PRACTICAL? DOES IT WORK? CAN IT WORK?

Alex Mashilo – Spokesperson for SACP (South African Communist Party)Guest: Leon Louw – Executive Director at Free Market Foundation Is the SA Communist Party still fighting for communism in South Africa or are they just the ideological and intellectual arm of the tripartite alliance? Do Range Rovers, Mercedes Benz, BMWs and Jeep Grand Cherokees symbolise the struggle against monopoly capital? These car brands, and many others, were what SACP delegates had arrived in to the special national congress at the University of Johannesburg's Soweto campus this week. Among the cars parked at the communist gathering were a BMW Gran Turismo 550i which goes for about R1.1m, a Mercedes Benz AMG ML350 which costs about R930 000, and a number of Audi Q5s and Jeep Grand Cherokees with starting costs at about R500 000. "Now bear in mind there are many extras or options on the cars that can take the prices much higher," Wheels24 editor Les Stephenson said. However, Stephenson said that the Mercedes CLAs and C180s, which seemed to be the most popular sedans among delegates, were reasonably priced at around R407 000 and R470 000. These cars were affordable for any minor businessman, Stephenson said. Most of the BMW, Audi, Jeep and Mercedes SUVs seen at the venue were above a pay grade of someone who earns about R50 000 a month. Although it was not immediately clear how much SACP officials earned, the party's financial report has revealed that R3.5m of its R30m operating budget is spent on salaries. According to the Business Day, R1.5m of that budget came from members of the Congress of SA Trade Unions. The newspaper had access to the party's financial report which was circulated among selected delegates on Thursday. The report revealed that its expenses for last year amounted to R29m, while its income was R25m leaving it R4m short.