19 August 2019

Declaration of SACP Western Cape Provincial Council held on 17 August 2019

We, the communist delegates from the branches, districts, the Young Communist League of South Africa (YCLSA) and the 8^th Provincial Executive Committee of the SACP in the Western Cape convened our provincial council in Ntsebenziswano High School, Philippi, on 17 August 2019.

On Women’s Month and the anniversary of the assassination of Comrade Ruth First

Our council coincides with the day of the brutal assassination of our communist martyr and fierce anti-apartheid revolutionary, comrade Ruth First, who was brutally assassinated by the apartheid forces on 17 August 1982 in Maputo, Mozambique. We dedicate our council to her memory fully aware that our country is observing Women’s Month and we should never allow the erasure of the historical contribution of such gallant women in our struggle.

We note that women are the most active members of our society, organised in political formations, burial societies, non-governmental organisations, savings schemes and many other forms of community organisations. However, women remain the most exploited, underpaid, abused and extremely vulnerable to vicious violence, femicide and insecurity. These vicious acts of aggression against women require a societal shift from pervasive patriarchy, institutionalised exploitation, unpaid labour and exclusion of women from the productive sectors of society.

Understanding that women carry the heaviest burden in the household, the workplace and society in general, we reaffirm the necessity of targeted policy interventions particularly gender-based budgeting. The demand for free sanitary towels remains genuine. Our longstanding call for equal pay for work of equal value in particular for women remains valid. We shall continue to fight for these basic rights as part of our struggle for the attainment of the National Democratic Revolution – our direct route to socialism.

Support for deployment of the army to combat extreme gender-based violence, gang violence and other crimes

We are concerned about extreme levels of gender-based violence, gang violence and criminality in general. We reaffirm our support for the deployment of the army in the Cape Flats; however, we are acutely aware that this deployment is a temporary measure to the structural problems of violence in our communities. The levels of criminality are a manifestation and a consequence of the capitalist crisis, therefore to find a lasting solution is to dismantle the capitalist system. The capitalist system is inherently violent and inhumane. In the meantime, police capacity needs to be strengthened and the infighting at the senior management in our province must come to an end. Therefore, we call for the appointment of permanent Provincial Commissioner as a matter of urgency for purposes of stability in the South African Police Services.  Further, the DA government’s attitude of deflecting and blame-shifting confirms that the DA is clueless about the impact of rampant crime as well as poverty and inequality which its neo-liberal policies reproduce daily.

Support for National Health Insurance Bill

We applaud the ANC-led government for finally introducing the National Health Insurance Bill in Parliament. We support the Bill based on the lived experiences of the working class which we captured during our province-wide visits to hospitals and clinics which remain in a poor state. We condemn the predictable rejectionist chorus from big insurance companies, sections of the media and neo-liberal commentators that survive by milking the middle strata and poor workers. The current situation in which the working class is excluded from accessing healthcare through exorbitant fees is untenable. The rich enjoy exclusive access to quality healthcare hence they are comfortable with the status quo.

Build a Left Popular Front against jobs blood-bath

We remain concerned about the crippling unemployment which is further exacerbated by the uncritical embrace of the so-called fourth industrial revolution. We categorically condemn retrenchments which exacerbate the crisis of joblessness.  It is this context that the Party shall together with the labour movement and civil society build a Left Popular Front against the unfolding blood-bath of retrenchments in all major sectors of our economy. This period demands greater innovation and dismantling the barriers that exclude and constrain small enterprises particularly in construction. Further, we urge the government to strengthen support for the establishment and harnessing of cooperatives towards inclusive economic trajectory.

ANC Interim Provincial Committee: Old wine in new bottle

As the SACP we welcome the disbandment of the ANC Provincial Executive Committee, a disbandment which occurred partly due to our agitation. However, we are deeply worried about the newly appointed ANC Interim Provincial Committee that consists of people who have plunged the organisation into a state of paralysis. Worse still the inclusion of people that looted elections money, in particular, and ANC finances, in general, is objectionable. What possible justification is there for further including individuals that were implicated in the corporate capture of the state which brought the economy to the brink? There is no political or moral justification for such inclusion in the context of organisational renewal and this will further dent the image of the ANC in the province and retard any possibility to properly prepare for our 2021 local government elections.

Issued by SACP Western Cape

Contact:

Benson Ngqentsu

Provincial Secretary

Mobile: 082 796 6400