27 July 2000
This weekend, the South African Communist Party celebrates 79 years of unbroken struggle for national liberation, people's power and socialism.
This 79 years represents SACP contributions to the building the ANC, COSATU, progressive unions and social movements in the struggle against apartheid, and currently around the transformation of South African society. Through these struggles we have also r ooted the ideas and vision of socialism in our country.
But this 79th anniversary is not only about our history. We celebrate our 79th anniversary against the backdrop of major advances in our society over the last six years, but also against the backdrop of a jobs crisis, persisting mass poverty, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and a society that remains amongst the most unequal in the world.
ECONOMIC CHALLENGES
The SACP argues that much greater emphasis needs to be placed on the mobilisation and co-ordination of budgetary, parastatal and domestic private capital for a more concerted infra-structural development approach led by a strong national democratic state w hich intervenes in the economy.
Running through all of the SACP's positions on the economy, is a commitment to strengthen, democratise and extend the public sector to enable the state to drive a developmental agenda at national, provincial and local levels. Therefore, the SACP sees no ne ed for downsizing, outsourcing, privatisation and the reduction of labour standards in the public sector.
RESTRUCTURING OF THE FINANCIAL SECTOR
For some time, the SACP has been warning about the continued monopolisation and concentration of financial resources and power in South Africa. We are literally allowing banks and the financial sector in this country to get away with murder.
Many poor people are denied access to credit, through the credit bureau and policies of South African banks.
Therefore, the SACP calls for a public campaign to put pressure for fundamental transformation of South African financial institutions.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS
An overwhelming ANC victory in the 2000 local government elections remains the most viable option to advance, consolidate and deepen the national democratic revolution. For the SACP this also means finding ways and means to lay the basis for building peopl e's power and the eventual transition to socialism. We therefore call on all communities, workers and all our people to register an overwhelming victory for the ANC in the coming local government elections.
CONTACT
Mazibuko K. Jara (surname Jara)
Department of Media, Information & Publicity
South African Communist Party
Tel: 011 339-3621/2
Fax: 011 339-4244
Cell: 083 651 0271
Email: sacp1@wn.apc.org