SACP Eastern Cape PEC statement
23 September 2013
The South African Communist Party (SACP) in the Eastern Cape convened its 4th session of the 6th Congress Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) meeting on the 21 - 22 September 2013 at the Carnegie Hall, Gonubie in East London.
The PEC meeting received and discussed the Political and Organizational reports which both served as a guide for the PEC to scientifically asses the state of our party and our alliance organs and challenges facing the working class at the provincial, national and international level. It also helped the PEC to critically analyze the socio-economic conditions of the workers and the poor across the globe and provide solutions guided by the Marxist-Leninist tools of analysis. The above work constituted part of preparations towards the SACP Eastern Cape Provincial Council which will be convened on the 28 - 29 September 2013 at the East London City Hall.
The PEC meeting also dealt with SACP Eastern Cape elections strategy which will guide our work towards ensuring the overwhelming victory of the African National Congress (ANC) in the forthcoming general elections. We view the coming elections as an opportunity for the movement to consolidate its core constituency (working class and the poor) in the interest of securing a two thirds majority as a precondition for realizing a radical second phase of the transition. That is buttressing our organizational power with a strong parliamentary power.
The PEC congratulate the South African Student Congress (SASCO) for decisive victory in the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) SRC elections as a message to the Democratic Alliance (DA) that every support they get from the black majority will always be temporary as they are incapable of representing the interests of the working class as they are principally a party of the bourgeoisie. We view the victory not only as a victory of SASCO as an organization but the victory of working class students as SASCO represents the interests of all students in the institutions of higher learning. We trust that SASCO will continue to lead students for the achievement of free education; free in cost and content.
International:
The situation in the world is becoming more unstable with US imperialism at the head of many conflicts crises facing humanity. They have temporarily stopped to implement what they referred to as “surgical strike” against Syria. They have shown disdain towards the United Nations (UN) on the issue of the alleged use of chemical weapons against the people of Syria. We wish to commend the contribution of our Alliance Summit through its special resolution on Syria and the leadership provided by our government on the Syrian matter.
We condemn with strongest terms possible the continuous arrest of people’s leaders in Swaziland under the Mswati regime; the latest being the Deputy General Secretary of the Communist Party of Swaziland (CPS). There can be no free, fair and democratic elections in Swaziland when political organizations are banned and political leaders incarcerated.
We are calling for the unbanning of the political organizations in Swaziland and the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners for the democratization of that country. It is against this background that we are calling for the isolation of the Mswati regime. The regime cannot continue to sit and participate in the democratic formations like SADC when they preside over oppressive state with no sense of democracy.
National:
The PEC meeting appreciated the successful recently held Alliance Summit which underlined the centrality of the Alliance in taking forward the radical phase of the transition. We welcome the allocation of billions in the infrastructure rollout and plans to transform the mining and the finance sector, however we are vividly aware that such will not proceed uncontested both within and outside our movement. This requires a strong alliance; it is only a strong movement that is capable of subjecting individual interests to those of the movement. It is only a strong movement with its strong leadership that is capable of uniting the people’s camp and provide sustainable solutions to the challenges faced by the South African people.
On the challenges facing COSATU the PEC expressed its principled view of respecting the internal processes of our ally. In this regard we are opposed to any efforts by individual leaders or groups within the federation to mobilize support outside COSATU against COSATU. Whether it is the SACP or an individual affiliate of COSATU none should seek to substitute the role of the Federation as that does not serve in the interest of unifying the federation but weakening it.
This is the federation we have contributed immensely on building as the SACP hence we are jealous of its unity. It is in this context that we call on all those who have issues to raise about the SACP to approach the SACP for bilateral engagements as shouting at each other will not help in building the unity our revolution so desire at this time of one enemy in many colors.
Any fragmentation of our revolutionary alliance can only mean the defeat of the National democratic Revolution (NDR) and the postponement of the Socialist South Africa. The alliance represents the anchor; the bedrock of the majoritarian character of our democracy which is a threat to imperialism and its shop stewards. We call for the alliance agreed processes to be speeded up to deal with the burning economic questions of the political moment as bases for tackling the triple challenge of unemployment, poverty and inequality.
Provincial:
As the SACP we condemn the brutal killing of women in the eastern part of the Eastern Cape based on the unscientific and backward accusations of witchcraft. These brutal killings undermine women’s rights and seek to portray them as less of human beings. These acts reveal backwardness and stereotype thinking of many men involved in these horrendous crimes.
We are calling upon all the traditional leaders, faith based organs, political formations, etc to educate the people in these areas for them to move away from such barbaric behavior. We are calling upon all law enforcement agencies to ensure the safety of the people in these areas, in particular women and children.
We condemn the violence against foreign nationals in Port Elizabeth and looting and damaging of their shops. We view these as criminal acts and very inhumane and therefore calling upon law enforcement agencies to work hard in ending the mayhem and protect the foreign nationals against these violent acts. In the final analysis it is the dominant capitalist system in the world that has displaced the workers and the poor throughout the world. We call upon the people of the province to display tolerance towards our brothers and sisters that are scattered all over the country and endeavor to share whatever little resource we have as part of our international solidarity work.
On Provincial Government
We welcome the improvement in some of the Provincial Government Departments which should be sustained as the progressive step towards governance capable of responding to the needs and aspirations of the Eastern Cape populace. We are however concerned with indecisiveness that is glaring in dealing with corruption in the provincial administration. Corruption in this province ought to be arrested for our government to be able to deliver on its core mandate.
We wish to commend the visible turnaround in the Department of Education under the leadership of Comrade Mandla Makupula and the administrative leadership. The department managed to obtain qualified audit opinion for the first time in the democratic dispensation. The department has improved on its infrastructure expenditure which we applaud as our province is still trapped on the semi-colonial spatial planning. It is in this context that the PEC called for reorganization and restructuring of the schooling system in our province as many of the challenges are structural hence incapable of meeting the needs of learners and our economy. We calling for the establishment of a statutory commission to drive and develop an education agenda for our country that meet the needs of learners and our country.
On Local Government
The meeting raised concerns on what is obtaining in the local government sphere in the Eastern Cape as its represent the state of paralysis which requires a decisive alliance approach in resolving. The political infightings, political interference and maladministration in many municipalities are compromising the capacity of these institutions to render services to the people.
On Health
On the closure of the Department of Health DEPO in Mthatha, the PEC expressed its view that closure of the DEPO need to be reconsidered as it denies once again the people in the eastern part of the province access to medication and will result in possible displacement of workers from their families. The solution is to deal with the corrupt elements that alleged to have high jacked the institution than closing it.
As the initiation summer draws nearer, we firmly believe that systems should be put in place by all stakeholders to avoid further deaths. The situation in the initiation schools requires all of us working together to de-commercialize this custom and get rid of all bogus surgeons and initiation schools. We support the work that has already been done by the Portfolio Committee of Health, Portfolio Committee of Local Government and Traditional Affairs and the House of Traditional Leaders, we urge our government to provide them with the necessary resources.
On Walter Sisulu University (WSU)
The PEC welcomed the resolution of the WSU strike and support the call for a summit that must look at the long term challenges facing the institution as we are of the firm view that the very merger is one of the post 1994 decisions that have gone terribly wrong. As the SACP, we also take to heart that, we as leadership in the province working with the Department of Higher Education and Training we could have done better in attending to the challenge and trusting that the summit will provide basis for all of us to do better going forward.
As the SACP we commit ourselves to continue working tirelessly with and for the workers and the poor towards resolution of these problems, defending, deepening the National Democratic Revolution and realization of a socialist South Africa and a better world.
Issued by SACP Eastern Cape:
Contact:
Siyabonga Mdodi
SACP Provincial Spokesperson
083 3588 070
