4 November 2020
The South African Communist Party (SACP) in the Mpumalanga Province held its ordinary sitting of the Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) over a virtual platform on 1 November 2020. The meeting received and adopted all standard reports reflecting on the state of contemporary politics, socio-economic developments and organisational matters in the province, nationally and internationally.
On coronavirus
The PEC reflected on amongst many issues the rapidly growing cases of coronavirus, putting the country under a threat of a second wave which will most definitely kill the capitalist crisis-ridden economy of the country. Our government is currently carrying a strain as our public health facilities may not carry sufficient capacity to handle such influx should it happen that a second wave sets in.
The SACP in Mpumalanga calls on all the progressive forces of our society, including the revolutionary Alliance, to intensify their fight against coronavirus by ensuring continuous awareness campaigns. We call on all the people of the province to act in a responsible manner as we approach the festive season. We call for compliance with all the protocols of the alert level 1 lockdown regulations.
On the economy
We call on the ANC-led Alliance government to provide leadership and guidance during these difficult times facing our country and our province by ensuring that social security interventions, such as basic income grants, are provided as a long-term strategy to cushion our people against the hardships brought about by the crisis created by capitalism before the Covid-19 pandemic and by the crisis created by the pandemic itself.
The PEC believes that a developmental approach is key in dealing with the multifaceted challenges facing our economy. This entails a state led re-industrialisation, thorough going agrarian transformation and most importantly investment in the social and economic infrastructure in order to transform the apartheid landscape which is still scarring our democratic society.
The PEC noted with concern the obstructive and counterproductive behavior by the national treasury towards any progressive initiative by the congress alliance and other stakeholders, preferring to subject our country to neo-liberal policies that got us into the economic crisis in the first place. We call on the Alliance to act decisively and recall the Minister of Finance for continuously contradicting the policy positions and Conference resolutions of the ANC-headed Alliance and his obsession with loans from Bretton Woods institutions.
Corruption and defrauding of State resources
The PEC is also appalled by the continuing corruption in our province and in our country as indicated by the recent treasonous scandals involving the procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE). We applaud the recent arrests by law enforcement agencies on those alleged to have stolen from the people. We call on the prosecution and judiciary to act decisively with necessary speed in finalising these cases. We further reaffirm our position of abolishment of the tendering system and building of state capacity to provide accessible, quality and affordable service delivery.
The PEC has noted with serious concern the barbaric behavior of the tenderpreneurs masquerading as radical economic transformation champions. We outrightly condemn their behavior and call on all progressive forces of the people's revolutionary movement to confront these counter revolutionaries as they are becoming a cancerous cell in the body politic of our movement.
We understand that this anti-movement behaviour is borne from the fear of being held accountable for the massive corruption that happened in the past decade, where looting of state resources for personal gain was the order of the day.
On gender-based violence
We also stand firm against gender-based violence and call on the President to expedite action against all those accused of gender-based related crimes through all relevant law enforcement agencies as he had declared this matter a pandemic. We are also dismayed by the news that an ANC PEC member is alleged to have committed such crime. We are therefore calling on the law to take its course and for the victims to receive necessary support during the proceedings.
On local government
The SACP in the province has forever been saying that there is a need for forensic investigations to be launched in government institutions, including municipalities. We are now absolved by the outcomes of the section 106 investigations that were conducted in certain municipalities within the province. Corruption has been laid bare and action must be taken against all those who have been found to have looted from the state.
It is for the above reasons that the SACP has for the year 2020-2021 launched its RED October Campaign focusing on accessibility to clean water, quality sanitation and good health for our people. We call on all municipalities to activate their local economic development programmes and fight hunger through agrarian programmes and involvement of local communities in the development of the township economy and special economic zones.
On the reconfigured Alliance
We reaffirm our support for the ANC in Mpumalanga in the upcoming by-elections and call on all members of the working class in South Africa to do the right thing and vote ANC. We further reaffirm our unconditional support for workers in these difficult times of neoliberal austerity measures. We say no to privatisation, casualisation and retrenchments.
Contact:
Mandla Tibane,
SACP Mpumalanga First Deputy Secretary
Mobile: 0794062099
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