7 October 2000
The Central Committee (CC) of the South African Communist Party (SACP) met on 06 and 07 October 2000. The CC received extensive reports on, and discussed the following matters:
SACP CAMPAIGN ON THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE FINANCIAL SECTOR
The CC re-affirmed the campaign and endorsed plan for pickets, rallies, and marches to be held in more than 20 centres across the country on 21 October 2000. Already, thousands of our members, and our allies are involved in mobilisation work for 21 October .
The SACP calls on all our people, workers, the poor and the unemployed to support the 21 October marches, the Red Saturday against Redlining. This campaign is about the demands and interests of the poor It is poor black people in the townships and rural ar eas who are victims of black-listing by the Credit Bureaus, poor banking services, red-lining and high bank charges and interest rates. This SACP campaign is speaking to these issues and is about the building of people's power for the eradication of povert y.
The CC also re-affirmed the immediate campaign demands as the following:
The CC also endorsed the principle of convening a National People's Conference (Civil Society Conference) preceding the NEDLAC Summit on the Transformation of the Financial Sector. As implicit, this campaign is a long-term campaign, which will not end on 2 1 October 2000. In this regard, the SACP is mobilising its structures, alliance partners and other mass formations behind a long-term struggle for the Transformation of the Financial Sector.
ECONOMIC POLICY DEVELOPMENTS
The CC received and discussed a report on economic policy development proposals that emerged from the September 11, Alliance Ten-a-Side meeting. The CC welcomed the greater readiness within the Alliance to explore economic policy perspective, and to assess and review progress made so far. In particular, the SACP is encouraged by the growing focus that is now being placed on the development of a coherent industrial policy, based on an extensive manufacturing emphasis, beneficiation, and major economic infra- structural development.
The Ten-a-Side mandated a Task Group convened by the alliance secretariat to take this work forward. The CC discussed concrete measures to ensure the SACP's effective engagement with this ongoing policy work.
FORWARD TO A MASSIVE ANC VICTORY IN THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS
While the SACP believes that the institution of traditional leadership needs to be handled sensitively, traditional leaders must know that the country is increasingly impatient with attempts from some quarters to delay the announcement of an election date. The CC calls on those prominent political leaders who are now tempted, once more, to play brinkmanship in the run-up to elections, to desist from this behaviour.
The SACP calls on all its members to continue with the work of mobilising for a massive ANC victory in the forthcoming local government elections. A massive ANC victory in these elections is the only way of consolidating gains we have made since 1994.
As the SACP, we have contributed to the shaping and drafting of the ANC Election Manifesto which is being launched tomorrow in Beaufort West. The specific issues the SACP contributed include the public service remaining as the preferred service provider in local government, the provision of a basic lifeline of services (water, electricity and sanitation) and popular participation through Ward and Village Committees.
For the SACP, the local government elections are not an end in themselves. We call on our people to continue with struggles for fundamental local government transformation in favour of the working class and the poor. These struggles must be led by democratic Ward and Village Committees around the following issues:
In the immediate period, the SACP links its Campaign for the Transformation of the Financial Sector to Local Government Transformation and Elections. Democratic local government is a major player in local economic development and how local and other (priva te and public) financial institutions address local development, credit for housing and small businesses, etc. It is through an ANC victory that our people can mandate local government to direct local financial institutions towards development and poverty eradication.
HIV/AIDS CAMPAIGN
The CC welcomed the ANC NEC report on HIV/AIDS, particularly the NEC emphasis that the government's HIV/AIDS programme is based on the thesis that HIV causes AIDS.
Further, the CC also re-iterated the SACP position on HIV/AIDS that:
In addition to these perspectives, the SACP also questions the role the media has been playing since the advent of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and particularly in the last period. Sections of the media have prioritised getting sensational headlines, contributin g to public confusion. What we need as a country is responsible and informed coverage of the epidemic and its impact on society and our response thereto. In this regard, most of our media is failing.
CONTACT
Mazibuko K. Jara (surname Jara)
South African Communist Party Department of Media, Information and Publicity
Tel: 011 339 3621 Fax: 011 339 4244
Email: sacp1@wn.apc.org.za