ADDRESS TO SADTU NORTH DURBAN REGIONAL CONFERENCE BY SACP KWAZULU NATAL PROVINCIAL
SECRETARY, SMISO NKWANYANA

28 June 2003

Comrades,

Chairperson, POBs, Alliance leadership, other guests and esteemed delegates

Those who choose to participate in shaping the history are history makers and
those who step aside and study it are historians. It is a good act to participate
in shaping the history, but heroic to shape it for the betterment of the majority
poor.

The South African Communist Party is once again honored with the invitation
to address this ever-important conference, the conference of the working class.
Our message as the SACP to this conference is very simply, that, we must meet
in order to build a strong SADTU and not to destroy or weaken it. We must all
leave this conference being proud that SADTU has again won and not just my individual
interest or my favored candidate. SADTU must be a winner and no one else but
SADTU!

You meet today at very crucial time in the country's effort to deepen, consolidate
and advance the goals of our revolution. It is ten years since the brutal assassination
of our General Secretary, Cde Chris Hani, and ten years since the passing away
of the hero of our revolution, cde Oliver Tambo. But you also meet when we celebrate
that workers determination and defiance to the apartheid government, the 1973
Durban strike. This is the 50th year since the reconstitution of the SACP and
the year that marks the end of the decade of freedom in this country. These
and many other commemorations should not just remind us of where we are coming
from but should also challenge the work even more harder to build this democracy.

IMPLICATIONS OF GLOBAL SITUATIONS

You also meet when the world peace and democracy is severe under threat from
the US drive for unilateralism. The US is guided by a very dangerous philosophy
that what is global is America and what is America is global. The recent invasion
of Iraq has indicated that US can simply march on every country and change the
regime it considers to be a threat on its interests in what it calls pre-emptive
war policy. This is certainly a threat to an alternative left progressive agenda.
This US imperialism which drives this programme need to resisted otherwise world
democracy will end up being democracy for America and not the people of such
countries. We are pleased that in the US and Britain there is already growing
resistance against this strategy and in effect there is a great pressure that
Bush and Blair should account whether there were weapons of mass destruction
in Iraq.

But what does this global reality means to our struggle to build democracy
and socialism in this country?

The global situation is very hostile to our agenda of radical changes. This
is presented by insistence on prescriptive measures of WTO, IMF and World Bank
that for any economic reforms such should comply with liberalisation policy
of markets, relaxing of tariffs, privatisation, commercialisation etc. In fact
those who believe in free market system always accused socialism of being a
planned economy, denying innovation and undemocratic. Yet if you look at the
global reality today, we have a world that is dominated by global capitalism,
this global capitalism prescribe for the world what should be economic policy,
intolerant of any country applying alternative and very brutal to dissenting
economic paradigm.

ECONOMIC GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT PARADIGM

This imperialist globalisation forces the world to put at the centre of agenda
profit for captains of industries and regards social delivery to the people
as an unnecessary expense that should be stopped. They advise countries to follow
economic models that emphasise the creation of an environment conducive to foreign
investments, whilst this investments only come in the form of speculative, casino-like
and not on productive industries that creates employment.

That is why as the SACP we continue to argue that our economic regime should
make emphasise on domestic resources, building infrastructure, harnessing of
domestic finance institutions, parastatals and workers pension funds. This is
what other countries that have able to sustain their economy did when their
economies were sufferings some shocks.

We think as the SACP there is a room for maneuver and the Growth and Development
Summit (GDS) attempted to bring about the alternative. That is why we welcome
the GDS decision to place at the centre of the country's economic growth and
development the reliance on domestic capital as the important resource upon
which we can grow the economy. This involves the use of co-operative, massive
public works programmes, developing the human resource through learnerships,
in- service training and mentorships.

The reason why we make emphasis on the economy is because it remains the major
terrain of counterrevolution and the sphere where the case for socialism is
threatened. The 1994 democratic breakthrough opened significant avenues of building
democracy and placed our demands for socialism on a new plain. This 1994 victory
made it possible to deliver social programmes like water, electricity, houses,
clinics, roads, social security rights and many others to majority people that
were denied. It also enabled us to transform the state through various legislations
including the adoption of the new constitution with the bill of rights, Labour
Relations Act, South African Schools Act and many others. These kinds of achievements
are certainly unparalleled to many established democracies in the world.

These kinds of gains if the economy is premised on neo-liberal principles,
will be negated. For instance what is the use of delivering electricity to a
retrenched worker who could not afford it. Even with houses, delivering them
to an unemployed person will result to that person selling such a house in order
to live. Our argument is therefore, why do we allow a situation where our massive
gains tends to be undermined by our economic policy. Those who have studied
revolutions will know that revolutions in the world ended up being undermined
by forces of market. Capitalism will not deliver to our poor people but will
entrench the old devide between the few who controls the capital and the majority
who are have-nots.

But to change the current situation will require a struggle from below, where
people themselves will demand to participate in economy. This means building
working class power. This means participating actively in alliance structures,
school governing bodies, community policing forums, building of co-operatives
and many organs that provide platforms for engagement.

We must participate to shape history and avoid being spectators. For instance
as educators you are strategically located in education which is the weapon
for any revolution. We should be asking ourselves that what is it that as an
educator am I doing to address illiteracy which by the way is the major impediment
in economic participation. What is it that I am doing empower communities around
where I work and live so that they can escape poverty traps, for instance committing
schools to buy uniforms from local co-operative. What is it that I am doing
learners not to simple assimilate bourgeois ideology be it in economics or business
studies but I empower such a learner to be critical and balance. This we believe
should be a role of a revolutionary educator; an educator committed to building
his/her country.

TASKS FOR GENDER TRANSFORMATION

You also meet today just week after a successful gender school co-organised
by SADTU and SACP. Among other issues raised the need to deepen gender struggle
and more particularly women in participation in the economy, governance structures
and in development institutions. But more importantly was the emphasis on not
just women participation but working class women who bear the brunt of many
societal hardships. This working class women participation will ensure that
the end result does not end up benefiting elite women but the majority.

Because most of the delegates were SADTU it was raised as a concern that in
schools the majority of educators are women, estimated above sixty percent,
yet positions of principals are male dominated. This was attributed to various
factors and some of them were that SGBs are male dominated and hence societal
partriachy permeates to school governance. But the other factor was that female
educators tend to pull down other females. There is a syndrome of 'if it cannot
be me than it should be a man', 'who does she think she is'.

But also man does take advantage of this situation, some men uses other women
to displace women. Yet women agree to be used. SADTU must avoid this disease
everywhere. This disease is a danger to our struggle to eliminate gender inequality
but it is also a danger to our organisations. So my plea to all of you, but
more so to women comrades is, YOU MUST RESIST THIS WRONG AGENDA! Those that
use this backward evil tactic must be exposed.

But it will important that when we approach the gender question, especially
the aspect of women empowerment, we should avoid attempts of putting women to
leadership position as mere gesture of pretending to be empowering, whilst such
has as its objective the window dressing. Some men normally do this in order
to fulfil their chauvinist beliefs that women are incapable of leadership and
they are weak. That is why the notion of quota system has found criticism, not
because it is an incorrect tool of redressing historical gender inequality,
but because some amongst us manipulate this tool in order to fulfil our narrow
goals. As a result quota system ends up relying on the women criterion in order
to qualify and throw away other important criteria like the potential to meet
the expectations.

Unfortunately many women decide to close their eyes and accept as an achievement
to put a women no matter what the contrary must dictate. But at the same time
there are those who argue against the quota system simply referring to this
system as a window dressing exercise, with least political impact positively
on our agenda to transform the society from that of partriachal, what matters
is the men's voice to that of gender equity, and everyone's voice matters no
matter how the social conditions affect such a person. This people will argue
that women should compete equally with men. If such women are not yet developed
we should avoid short cuts and undergo a painful process of developing them
until they have reached the level of competing with men. The weakness of this
argument is that men have been dominating our society for centuries and they
have been denied all avenues to reach the level of men, they are in a position
to which they are because the system designed by men made it impossible for
them to overcome their underdevelopment. Even today they are still subjected
to similar systems, and it therefore means for them to reach the level of men
they must work ten times more.

This is like saying affirmative action is bad just because there are companies
that work to undermine it by putting black faces without also looking at the
potential factor to develop.

We hope this conference will serious look at these challenges that confronting
the gender transformation discourse.

CONCRETE CHALLENGES FACING SADTU

But can we also add other challenges we believe this conference need to deliberate
on, and this are: whether SADTU is doing enough to advocate for the safety at
schools, whether SADTU is doing enough to campaign against sexual harassment
and rape of women educators and girl learners at school, whether SADTU is doing
enough to expose and campaign against drugs in schools, whether SADTU is doing
enough to discipline its members who undermine the culture of learning and teaching
services by coming drunk at schools or absenting themselves for weeks. What
mere is a challenge is what is it that distinguish a SADTU member from other
teacher unions, or the difference is simply that SADTU is militant and that
it can fight for promotions. These challenges being highlighted are challenges
of nation building of freedom and democracy.

Certainly SADTU cannot pride itself as revolutionary union when its women members
and girl learners continue to be raped and sexually harassed, even by some SADTU
members. It certainly cannot pride itself if it pretends as if it is not its
responsibility to fight drugs at schools, fight for the safety of educators
at schools and allow its members to conduct themselves in the manner that seeks
to undermine the profession.

2004 GENERAL ELECTIONS

Next year 2004 will mark a decade of freedom in this country; it will be a
year in which we shall remember that before ten years ago SA was a pariah of
the world. We will remember that we achieved democracy and freedom even though
some among us today simple take this for granted. We will remember that a black
person did not enjoy rights, women, especially domestic workers, were raped
by white men yet when they reported the cases they faced torture. A white man
could not do a crime on a black person.

But it will also be a reflection about the future and challenges ahead. But
the very same year 2004 will mark the third democratic general elections upon
which every South African will be expected to exercise a vote. As the SACP we
will again make a call to all South African to vote for the ANC. We will be
making such a call not because the word ANC sounds nice and also not that we
are unaware of problems, especially with certain policies, with the ANC. But
we say so because we believe the ANC still remains the only organisation that
truly takes forward our National Democratic Revolutionary goals.

Let me give you a little advice, all other political parties, regardless of
their rhetoric and grandstand posturing, they all lack the programme of taking
this country forward. They all treat worker interests with disdain and gibberish.
When SADTU went on a strike in 1998 they sang the same song of calling on government
to discipline teachers who were spoiling the good name of the profession.

Whilst in the rest of the country, with least exception of Western Cape, they
will be celebrating ten years of freedom, democracy and building of better life
in KwaZulu Natal we should use 2004 to begin freedom, democracy and laying of
a foundation for a better life. This is possible if we defeat the IFP. I know
that amongst you there might be those who will say they prefer baboon to ANC,
that the nature of any trade union. But I trust that SADTU is not just any other
union, but a union of worker intellectuals, a union of cadres in ideological
production. Because you are worker intellectuals so let us speak the truth and
nothing else but a truth about why we say even if ANC is not your organisation
but for a moment we request you to put the ANC government in this Province.

The truth is that the IFP-DA alliance, in what they refer to as halting the
ANC lust for total control, they have identified KwaZulu Natal and Western Cape
to be no go areas for ANC after 2004 elections. But what does this mean to delivery
of social programmes to our people? It means SADTU will subjected to either
IFP or DA MEC who will make his/her task to dismantle SADTU even if it means
going to extremes. It means NATU will enjoy preferential recognition and be
capacitated with resources and platforms to take over SADTU members. In simple
terms SADTU members will be harassed, victimised and dismissed so that to be
SADTU will result in sufferings and hardships.

This IFP-DA pact will consolidate this Province as a site of reaction to a
democratic government programmes. The example of Social Development Department
programmes of food hampers to poor people in this Province, the department,
which is under the IFP, used more than three-quarter of R30 million only Abaqulisi
and Zululand districts. They defied the national directive that food distribution
must be done by NGOs and Faith based organisations and it is reported that in
fact IFP activists were the one who distributed it to their people.

We can mention many things that will go wrong, but it remains our tasks to
say now enough is enough let democracy that reverberate throughout the country
reaches KwaZulu Natal. If we do this certainly what we see in other provinces
as development will reach our Province.

We must disprove the adage 'that a person suffering from a disease for a long
time knows nothing other than such a disease and wish no other life better than
a life under such sickness'. As revolutionaries we must break the chains, we
must commit ourselves to winning elections break neck and jaw. KwaZulu Natal
cannot be an island of backwardness in the sea of prosperity.

CONCLUSSION

Finally, we expect every delegate in this conference to be guided by the conviction
of building an even stronger SADTU in this Province, in this region, in every
branch and every site. We must live to the slogan of a non-SADTU educator is
an unorganised educator. We must seek to dominate every site and turn them into
a Mecca of better educator rights. Seeds of revolutionary trade union, SADTU
must be planted in every site. But to achieve all this means commitment to organise,
to mobilise, to educate, to agitate and propagate. It means unity, unity and
unity! We hope this conference will be remembered for ability of every delegate
to transcend narrow interests, the maturity to place the interest of SADTU above
personal ambitions.

We wish you very successful deliberations and may your conference once more
be historic, you must debate, disagree and agree. We await the outcome!

Thank you