10 December 2003
66 delegates representing 1,875 SACP members from 34 branches in the Province met to look at the organisational challenges facing the Party in the Western Cape and elect a new leadership to take the SACP into the next three years.
The 4th Provincial Congress of the SACP marked a new departure in that all the five office bearers received overwhelming support thus making elections for these positions unnecessary. In addition the gender representation of women on the Provincial Executive has increased by over 100% to 5 on the 20 person Executive following the elections.
The Congress was held as part of the rebuilding programme of the Province, in order to put in place an effective SACP that will deliver on the 2004 programme as well as putting the organisation machinery in place for the implementation of the SACP Mid-Term Vision.
Congress was addressed by the General Secretary of the SACP, Comrade Blade Nzimande. In his address he called on the Provincial Congress to implement the Mid-Term vision of the SACP, a 10 year plan whose objective is to ensure that the working class have a decisive and qualitative impact upon all key sites of political and economic power, so that no center of power in society can be able to exercise power without taking into account the class interests of the working class.
Congress was presented with the 6 pillars of the 2004 programme of the SACP for implementation by the Province. The General Secretary called upon the Province to:-
Emphasis at Congress was laid on the need to take forward the Financial Sector campaign and the transformation of this sector in the Western Cape.
The relationship between the SACP and the COSATU 2015 programme was outlined, and the need for both organisations to work closely together on these respective programmes.
With regards the 2004 elections in the Province, the key focus of the SACP will be on mobilising both the organised workers and the vulnerable sector workers to vote for the ANC.
Congress was also addressed by the Provincial Chairperson of the ANC, Comrade Ebrahim Rasool who spoke on the outcome of the Provincial Growth & Development Summit (PGDS), the need to systematically strengthen the Alliance in the Province and issues of governance in the Western Cape.
The Cosatu Regional Secretary Comrade Tony Ehrenreich speaking on behalf of 280,000 membership of Cosatu in the Western Cape, called for the SACP to actively engage itself in the Provincial NEDLAC structure that is being set up to discuss matters that flow out of the PGDS, and for the SACP to engage vigorously the shaping of economic policy in the Province. He also called on the SACP to involve itself in the future restructuring of Public Transport in the Province specifically on the future of Golden Arrow.
The Congress was conducted in a positive spirit and delegates under took to arrange a policy conference in 2004 to deal with some of the strategic issues that face the SACP in the Province.
The newly elected Provincial leadership is as follows:-
| Provincial Secretary | Khaya Magaxa |
| Provincial Chairperson | Gwebs Qonde |
| Provincial Deputy Secretary | Mark Sweet |
| Deputy Provincial Chairperson | Connie September |
| Provincial Treasurer | Wendy Koza |
Additional members to the Provincial Executive are:-