22 January 1997
On behalf of nearly 80,000 South African Communist Party members throughout our country we take this opportunity to wish all South Africans a happy , peaceful and constructive new year.
We have, collectively as South Africans, achieved a great deal over these past , historic three years. We can draw strength from these achievements as we face the challenges ahead. But we shall only rise to those challenges if we are able to keep a clear sense of our moral purpose and objectives. The call that President Mandela made for a "new patriotism" remains central.
We call on workers, on young people, on the rural and urban poor- do not give way to cynicism, selfishness or despair. Do not renounce your legitimate aspirations in the face of difficulties or the slowness of change in some quarters. If those who most need change lose faith, then real change will indeed not come about.
In particular, 1997 must be a year in which we harness all the resources of our country in an effort to overcome the terrible scourge of unemployment. This is one area where we have yet to make any significant dent, yet it is an area that impacts upon everything else.
In this new year, as South Africans, we must have the courage to look creatively for our own solutions. We must not swallow uncritically global fads for their own sake, or assume that there are no alternatives.
A happy , peaceful and constructive New Year!
Charles Nqakula
General Secreatary