SACP Gauteng Press Statement
21 August 2013
SACP GAUTENG TO STAGE A FOLLOW-UP PICKET PROTEST AT THE HEAD OFFICE OF JOHANNESBURG HOUSING COMPANY (JHC) THIS FRIDAY, 23RD AUGUST 2013
SACP Gauteng will this Friday, 23rd August 2013 stage yet another picket protest at 10h00am at the head office of the Johannesburg Housing Company (JHC) situated at 53 Main Street, Marshalltown. The picket is a follow up to the protest march that was held on the 27th July 2013 and a picket held on Friday, 16 August 2013.
Following the liquidation process, the JHC was granted an eviction order that affected more than 2000 families, mostly women, children, people with disabilities and the elderly. The JHC enforced the eviction through the use of the Red Ants, a notorious paramilitary force that applies unconstitutional, brutal and violent methods.
The SACP will continue to fight the JHC as symbol of housing monopoly capital to highlight the plight of the working class and poor against evictions, homelessness, corruption and to defend cooperatives as the best model for low cost and social housing delivery.
We will mobilise our members to ensure that this principled revolutionary fight against JHC is part of the momentum and build up programme towards the SACP`s 2013 annual Red October Campaign with a focus on anti-evictions, corruption and homelessness. From now till October, and almost every Friday, the SACP will ensure that protest picket are held against the JHC.
We hope the Johannesburg Metro Police and SAPS as organs of the democratic state, will not take sites in favour of JHC in this protracted class struggle as they clearly did last week when handling the picket and even the application process.
SACP GAUTENG SHOCKED BY THE DEPLOYMENT OF MR TIMOTHY NAST TO THE GAUTENG PLANNING COMMISSION
SACP has learned with great shock recent media reports about the deployment of Mr Timothy Nast to the Gauteng Planning Commission. We are deeply concerned that this shocking move was not subject to a process of proper consultation as a profound revolutionary principle of the ANC led Alliance.
SACP is concerned about the political process that gave birth to Mr Nast`s deployment, and that this may have everything to do with the contradictions of two centres of power in the province as noted by the SACP in its previous reflections on this matter. We firmly believe that this particular deployment is unfortunate and deeply regrettable.
We raise this matter fully aware that the line is thin in relation to overstepping the principle of autonomy and independence of Alliance partners, a principle we respect, whilst we note that the matter is long in the mass and commercial media.
The SACP is concerned that Mr Nast is deployed to execute one of the most strategic, profound and revolutionary tasks in the National Democratic Revolution (NDR) following the political outcomes of the ANC`s two most historic 52nd and 53rd National Conferences held in Polokwane and Mangaung respectively.
We are deeply worried that Mr Nast, whose political and class consciousness is derived from that of the Democratic Alliance, an Apartheid party of white monopoly capital and Imperialism, is now expected to drive and lead the implementation of the National Development Plan (NDP) in our province.
Whilst the SACP has nothing against the personality of Mr Nast, we are worried that he does not possess the most appropriate political orientation, consciousness and technical experience of provincial planning to drive the ANC`s most strategic content of the second phase of the transition contained in the NDP.
We are deeply concerned that this development further constrains the NDP`s inherent limitations that the SACP has already noted, especially those relating to the chapter on the economy and job creation.
SACP has also noted the announcement on the appointment of comrade Eric Xayiya as the new MEC for Economic Development. We fully support and welcome the deployment of comrade Eric to this important position of leading the most powerful economy of our country, a product of the concentration of capitalist development and contradictions that evolved over more than 300 years of colonialism in our country.
SACP welcomes this particular appointment, which contrary to many in the past, followed a principled and robust process of engagement between Alliance partners, based on mutual respect and recognition that the SACP`s interest in state power is an objective matter of historic and absolute necessity.
SACP will continue to sharply raise and express concerns on all unprincipled deployments, and this we shall do without prejudice, fear or favour irrespective of the personality involved. This revolutionary task we shall execute without fear of blackmail, malicious and opportunistic slander and vicious attacks. It in this context that we wish comrade Eric well in his new deployment, whilst calling for an immediate review of the deployment of Mr Timothy Nast.
Issued on behalf of the SACP Gauteng Province
Contact:
Mamabolo Jacob: Provincial Secretary: 082 884 1868
Lucian Segami: Provincial Spokesperson: 079 522 0098
