Friday, 14 October 2005
The South African Communist Party (SACP) welcomes the passing of the National Credit Bill, for the SACP the passing of the bill marks once again a very important victory for the SACP led campaigns following the Mzansi account which resulted from the SACP led financial sector campaign.
We regard the passing of the bill as the beginning to lay the foundation for the transformation of the sector.
However, we are very concern and disappointed at the absence of a once off credit amnesty for those blacklisted by the bureaus . As the SACP we are of the view that the failure by the Department of Trade and Industry to include this very important aspect and demand of the majority of our people signals lack of concern on the part of the department.
Our further view is that the majority of the poor and the working class will remain prisoners of the credit bureaus and as such, remain highly and unreasonably indebted, failure to grant this amnesty may lead into most of our people not to benefit from the new law.
Our country cannot afford this continuation of the subjection of our people into debt and marginalisation from participating actively in the economic life of our country.
We in the SACP welcomes specifically, the intentions by the department to set a regulatory body on the affairs of the bureaus, the access to information by those blacklisted and the fact that the government will make it easier for people to remove their names from the bureaus.
We will in the coming weeks as the SACP mobilise our masses into action for the once off amnesty, we shall picket, march and protest against the failure to grant this amnesty.
Issued by the SACP
Contact:
Kaizer Mohau
Media Liaison Officer
South African Communist Party (SACP)
Tel: 011 339 3621/2
Fax: 011 339 4244/6880
Mobile: 076 573 7764
Email: Kaizer@sacp.org.za
Website: www.sacp.org.za