5 July 2021

The South African Communist Party (SACP) in Gauteng Province calls for the Coalition Against Covid-19 to be established by civil society organisations to mobilise the people against the spread of Covid-19 pandemic and to flatten the curve of the rate of infections. This call follows a virtual meeting of the Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) held on the 3rd July 2021.

The SACP believes that the coalition of patriotic civil society organisations will play an important role in the twin tasks, firstly of saving lives from the spread of Covid-19 and secondly, saving livelihoods by cushioning the economy from the devastating negative impact of hard-lockdowns. The SACP has noted that the current approach of fighting the spread of Covid-19 through law enforcement-driven lockdowns on its own is not sufficient and adequate to stem the tide of infections rates. The SACP is also concerned by the slow pace of the vaccine roll-out.

The SACP further believes that the weakest link in the chain of the current third wave of Covid-19 infections remains the popular social mobilisation of the people to reinforce and strengthen non-pharmaceutical interventions and protocols that require the conscious, deliberate and people-driven compliance with Covid-19 protocols. The SACP believes that this strategic approach was decisive in the complete turnaround of the fight against HIV-AIDS in our country, and should work in the province facing a crisis of significant proportions.

The SACP is convinced that the struggle and fight against Covid-19, including the effective and efficient roll-out of the vaccine, can only be a people’s popular victory led by a patriotic coalition of forces, united behind the profound need to defend and protect human lives from the threat of the spread of Covid-19 and its subsequent negative impact on the economy.

Whilst we are convinced that the Provincial Coalition Against Covid-19 should remain a popular platform led by civil society organisations, SACP will this week engage in a series of consultations to unleash the momentum and necessary wave to create conditions to establish full support for this profound and dynamic call.

Issued by the SACP Gauteng Province

Contact:

Jacob Mamabolo – SACP Gauteng Provincial Secretary
Mobile: 082 884 1868