El Commandante, the Commander-in-Chief of the revolution, the last revolutionary standing Fidel Castro resigned recently as the leader of Cuba after 49 years. Castro is a giant in history whether you like him or not, this man is a giant in world history! So who is next? Is there anyone out there who could step into the huge gap left by this man? Who will talk back and disrespect the United States Empire? Could it be Hugo Chavez? Could it be Jacob Zuma? Please don’t laugh, it’s not that funny, well maybe it is. Jacob Zuma has been called the saviour of the masses in South Africa, a popularist who will take from the rich and share with the poor.  A man who could emulate Castro who violently arrested power from Baptista and gave it back to the people. Can Zuma be the next Fidel Castro, well at least for South Africa?

I can’t see it, Jacob Zuma is not a magnanimous man, he is not charismatic, he is not a revolutionary and honestly, he is part of a group. Castro was the man, the only man in charge. He ran Cuba on himself for the first 20 years. Yes, he had Ernesto Che Guevera but he was under the control of Castro. Zuma is nothing compared to Castro, so why am trying to compare the two? Well, South Africa is in a time of political redefinition, well on the surface, and the world has lost I think the only remaining revolutionary. Whatever popularist revolution South Africans are expecting from Zuma will be met with much disappointment. South Africans should just pack up those dreams and wait for half measures and pathetic attempts at socialism by a Zuma led government. He is part of the capitalist system and he wants to be rich too. The people are just a means to an end. His revolution will be staying in power and the people will help stay hoping for a socialist revolution.

Revolutions are a thing of the past, Castro was a real revolutionary, he trained many liberation armies in Africa and South America, he sent Cuban Special Forces to Angola to fight the Apartheid government and he was publicly against Apartheid. He stood up for the little people and did his best to empower them. His political legacy has many a failure but he had some successes in Cuban health care and education. He did his best to give his people everything they needed. However, his worst mistake like many a revolutionary he thought he was the be-all-and- end-all of the revolution. He was arrogant and failed to train up a replacement, someone to carry on the revolution. Raul Castro is the new leader of Cuba and I think he will make some economic concessions, Cuba as we know it is no more. Raul will bring in some capitalist reforms, which may not be a bad thing but I don’t think he will inspire leftist thought like Fidel. That voice may die with Fidel. Although some may say that Hugo Chavez will carry it on, he may not be in power beyond 2012. He won’t outlive 9 American presidents, rule as long as Queen Elizabeth II and over a hundred attempts on his life. Chavez has done well in vocalising leftists thought and doing his best to balance world political discourse. But a world without Castro is a dull world.

I hope I’m wrong about Jacob Zuma. What do you think? Is the Leftist Revolution dead? I think it is.

Viva La Revolution!!!