SACP Gauteng Province congratulates COSATU for a succesful and united Shopsterward Council
21 April 2015
The SACP Gauteng Province congratulates Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), its primary class ally, for an overwhelmingly successful Provincial Shopsterward Council that was held yesterday, the 21st April 2015 in central Johannesburg.
The Shopsterward Council was one of the most well attended and firmly united meeting of the proletariat following the expulsion of its General Secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi, and the suspension of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) from the revolutionary federation.
The SACP was deeply pleased and inspired by the presence of all National Office Bearers, and African National Congress and South African Communist Party (SACP) as member organisations of the revolutionary and historic Alliance.
Delegates to the Council appreciated the principle of the independence and autonomy of Alliance partners and their historic unity. In this regard, workers reaffirmed their historic and principled commitment to the National Democratic Revolution (NDR) as the unifying and founding perspective of the revolutionary Alliance. SACP was deeply pleased that workers denounced attempts to divide them, and right-wing calls to break ranks with the ideals of the Freedom Charter.
In addition, workers denounced with contempt sectarian and narrow workerist attempts to mobilise them to break ranks with the ongoing ANC-led Alliance process of national liberation of the historically oppressed people which is the only direct route to socialism considering our country`s concrete conditions.
In this regard, workers reaffirmed the Marxist-Leninist principle that the class contradictions on the factory floor are directly linked with national and gender oppression of the overwhelming revolutionary people led by the ANC and its Alliance partners.
The Shopsterward Council further welcomed the SACP`s principled and revolutionary caution that leaders, however popular they may be, must not be treated as a holy script, a site of worship and "koppie" for rituals irrespective of their popularity. Workers clearly understood that under conditions of a world economic crisis, it is easy for "ready-made" unscrupulous and demagogic leaders to opportunistically exploit their workplace conditions more often presenting themselves as holier than thou "messiahs."
The SACP calls for the unity of workers, taking into account the fact that USA led Imperialism is hard at work to weaken primary sectors of the economy that remain the historic basis of the revolutionary trade union movement and therefore the Alliance.
The SACP notes that to date, USA sponsored Imperialism has attacked the NUM in the mining sector and the manufacturing sector using the NUMSA faction. Without doubt, imperialism is working very hard to use former SADTU leaders to attack the public sector, and in the same vein, it is using the FAWU factional leadership to attack the Agricultural sector.
The SACP reaffirmed its historic commitment to work with the ANC-led Alliance to push back the frontiers of Imperialist aggression in our country and to defend the unity of the workers of our country and those in the world at large.
Issued on behalf of the SACP Gauteng Province
Contact:
Jacob Mamabolo: Provincial Secretary: 082 884 1868
Lucian Segami: Provincial Spokesperson: 079 522 0098
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Twitter: SACP Gauteng
